In the Crevices of Memory

Chapter 4

"Every life is just as important, every tear wiped is just as important," he mumbled those words between his breaths like a mantra. Shaking one of his leg.

With all the hard challenges he had set-up for his own life, anxiety had to be one of his problem. Why couldn't he be just like everyone around him? Comfortable in their skins. Content with their parts in the whole wide world.

Slowly, the announcer rifled through each of them. Invited them to the stage to give some of their words. They were good. There speeches were heart-breaking enough to bring tears in ones eye. So unlike him.

"And now, it's time to present our last contributor of the night. Dr.Haider Malik." All too soon, it was his turn.

The crowd bursted in applause while his heart sank. He stood from his chair. His legs started shaking and his hands cold. His heart was hammering in strange rhythm, while he started feeling so cold. Nervousness was such a cold feeling, it made you want to shiver.

He tried to shake it all away. He walked to the brown, mahogany podium. Rising up the two-steps, standing behind the mike. His written speech was already laid out for him. He was about to start reading it. And looked around the hall once, seeing every face, lit up and expectant to see what he had to offer to them.

What would they want him to say? He took a long, deep breath. Blocked out the hall around him, and started thinking of the days he was fresh out of his medical school. His houseman-ship was at a government hospital. Where it all started.

The medical at that hospital was supposed to be free, or at menial cost for the more dire ailments. Haider was a wide-eyed youngster willing to work for days without rest to help others. But the system, so distraught by the lack of proper organizers.

His seniors recommended cheap meds for more money, for a share from the pharmacies. Where the rate of patients coming in always had been alarming. The beds never enough.

And in one of those days, he had came across a patient. Crumbling with age, with one of his son. They had came all the way from another province, after two days train-ride. Just because they didn't had good hospitals in their own town.

Haider had followed them back on their journey home. The son and a what remained a coffin of the old man. He then had a chance to look at the small, heavenly gorgeous Hunza valley with such a dark reality. No proper medical facility!

Ever since, Haider had pledged to provide them with what they lacked.

He was aware that he had covered only a single valley, though a lot of villagers easily made their way to his hospital. It was strategically located with that in mind. But the said valley was a small part of his nation, and even smaller part of the whole wide world. A world fill with just as much pain and suffering. But still, he was making a difference in their lives.

So, he zealously worked on making the hospital the best of it's kind.

Fast-forward five years, and here he was standing today. In front of this crowd. With a pride that swelled his heart, that indeed after all the hard-work, his dream had turned into a physical manifestation

Surely, they were understaffed. The facilities weren't as good as they should have been. A lot of times, compromises had to be made. Because of the lack of money or resources.

But truth was, Haider knew that part of his struggle would never stop. That's just how the world works. Always imperfect yet beautiful.

And that was why he was here today, and had came before in events like these, and will join them in the future, to make his small contributions in making the harsh world better each day.

He didn't realized when he had started talking. Sharing the story of how and where his cause started. He had yet to even look at the speech written in front of him. There was so much he wanted to say right from his heart, that he didn't even got time to see what the paper even suggested him to talk about.

The whole room had been silent, there breaths held. That was also something that always happened, despite all his anxiety, Haider ruled at the stage.

"And that's why, my friends, I am here. To ask you on the behalf of all of our brothers and sisters, who live in those desolate areas. Aren't their life worth even a small pinnace of our money?" when he was finished, he was also just as surprised and humbled by the spell caused by him.

After a moment of silence followed, a silence that was holy in it's virtue. Then the hall erupted in claps. It was a sophisticated crowd, but even they shouted and showered him in compliments.

Haider exhaled in relief, which got out in the form of a laugh. Waving his hands and smiling, he walked back to his chair. Feeling a heavy weight lifted from his chest.

The announcer was back saying "and with that, now that everyone's favorite Haider Malik is done with his speech. The segment is concluded."

The rest of the night followed with the gathering of donations, then a fancy dinner. Haider wasn't much present in any of that part. His mind still reeling with the after-stage hangover.

So, obviously he didn't noticed Raees walking out with a strange glee in his face. A scheming face.