In the Crevices of Memory

Chapter 6

Dr.Irfan was going through specially hectic days. There was a bad flu virus spread in the area. Some of the older patient's were angry over "boring sickly food".

Whenever Haider wasn't here, Dr.Irfan would get in panic mode anyway. He was too old to handle stress.

Having his thousandth cup of tea from the morning, he was sitting in his cabin to take a break for a while. That's when his intercom beeped. He clicked open to let the receptionist's voice boom. "Sir there is a lady here to meet you."

"Tell her I am not available for a moment but will be back on duty. Please wait, I will hear her case in a while." He said, the rest of the energy draining out of him.

"No sir. She isn't a patient, but a medical student. She claims you've called her for the interview." The voice bloomed back.

"Okay send her in." Dr.Irfan said, suddenly remembering his shaky Skype call. The system here isn't that organized to have every to-do list and interviews documented in. So he had forgotten.

The red light of intercom vanished indicating that the call had dropped. After a while, there was a slight knock at his cabin's door. He come in'ed the newcomer.

The door opened and revealed a beautiful girl in her early twenties. She had beautiful golden-brown curly hairs falling behind her. A heart shaped face with brown eyes filled with intelligence. She had a look that said she meant business and was here to be took serious. Wearing a long brown cardigan and black cropped pair of trousers. She looked a combination of east and west, and picked only the beautiful parts from both of her origins.

"Excuse me, may I come in?" She said in a soft tone. Her voice was beautiful as well. All the while admiring her beauty, he had only one thought in his mind; would my daughter had grown into something like her as well, had she got the chance?

"Yes please, how can I help you?" He said, shaking himself out of the memory, he gestured her to a seat.

She graciously placed herself in that. Dr.Irfan could easily tell by her mannerisms that her education was strong.

"Thank you Doctor." She said. Dr.Irfan folded his hands in front of himself, intently watching her to continue. She internalized what she wanted to say for a while, than began. "My father is a Pakistani, Sami Afridi, this is his village. And he left for England when he was young. There he met my mom and they got married. A couple years ago, he... he passed away." Her voice broke, she cleared her throat. "There are some questions he left unanswered, questions about who I am? The only place those answers can be found, I suppose, was this place. To do that, I need to stay here for a long while. But of course, my father was a lot of things but no landlord. I have to do something to keep my belly filled." She exhaled, and then looked around. "I heard about this hospital and it being understaffed, so, decided to give it a shot." She shrugged in the end. All the while, she never loosen her composure.

Dr.Irfan listened patiently, nodding. "Yeah, I have studied your credentials." He said, by now, he had remembered all the arrangement she had made from England. "I surely am interested in you, seeing your great academic record. But the thing is, even though I am the most senior in age here, but the actual boss isn't around. He is out of town." Dr.Irfan said, feeling reluctant to let this innocent girl down.

And down she got, her face fell. "Oh, so when will your boss return then?" She said, her voice losing it's fire.

"He was out for a nationwide fund-raiser. But his tour ended yesterday, he might return in a day or two." He said, feeling guilty to return her. She might had covered their need of a female doctor they so desperately needed for the shy village girls who wouldn't get their babies delivered from a male doctor and in turn consulted the not properly educated women who thought they knew more than this hospital about a girl's need. Resulting a heavy number of child-birth deaths.

The girl, unaware of his thought process, excused herself. Getting ready to leave. A lightbulb sparked in Dr.Irfan's head at the exact moment.

He rushed on saying; "Maybe, since I know and vouch for you that you are suitable for this job, I will take you in for a trial period. But do remember that the real decision can only be took when the owner of this hospital return. But if you succeed in convincing me by then, I know I will be able to convince him."

It was Dr.Irfan's belief that Haider could never let him down. It was a pride of his life. It must had shown in his voice, since the girl, what was her name again? Sara, Dr.Sara Afridi's face arranged in a resolve as she nodded.

"Thank you, and please proceed." The fire in her voice returned as she handed her resume to Dr.Irfan.

Her academic record, as he remembered, was remarkable. He thumbed through her file. As he reached the end of her remarkable resume, there was yet another surprise waiting for him. She had completed her M.B.B.S from Cambridge, arguably the best college of Europe. But she didn't had a dime of work experience. She had just graduated a month ago, and her degree couldn't be considered finished. Since her practice wasn't done yet. Mandatory to get a medical degree. So, all in all, she wasn't a doctor yet.

"Your resume is great, but I am not sure that you can get hired in any hospital with that. Cambridge credentials doesn't make you worthy of a doctor's job. Without any practice." Dr.Irfan said, she looked like she had expected the question. Dr.Irfan felt that she was ready for it the way she answered.

"I sure know that sir. But I am in this city for a purpose, otherwise why would a student living happily with a bright future ahead come to a rural place in a third-world country anyway? And I don't want to get carried away in that purpose so much that I forget my oath that I had taken when getting into a medical school. I am to help the poor and needy at all cost. What I am here for, I don't even know when my work will finish and when will I finally get a chance to leave and get back to England. Maybe never. But I don't want to give up on my career as well." Sara said. There was a look in her eye that does come when one in on a jury plea a bargain. "Please, you are a reasonable person, please, think of a way."

"Okay then, let's make a compromise. You will work here, but under seniors supervision like any house job student does. Your pay grade will be the same as a paramedic's. Until then, prove to me that you are worthy to work here. Only then will I talk to him into keeping you. And we will contact to some university hospitals around and get you tested properly. This hospital is by no mean certified for it, but I will give it a shot. You are to answer me and by no mean, do anything without my supervision. That means, no matter what happens. Winter is around the corner, there will be a lot of emergencies when it approach. You are to keep your humanitarian side out of the way and be strictly professional. Any violation of rule will get you easily out of here. Do I make myself clear?" Dr.Irfan said.

The spark had gotten stronger in her eyes. "Absolutely sir. I will do my best to compete with your trust." She said, in a tone so excited it was contagious.