Never Kiss A Stranger
Posted on Sep 23rd, 2009
by
Praveer
PSRI
I looked forward to seeing my wife in the ICU after her major surgery. In a hurry, I fumbled the foot covers, got my arms crossed in the hospital gown, couldn't figure out which way the green face mask went on. The only thing I really stopped for was the disinfectant hand wash - I love the smell.
"Lolita Shukla?" I asked another masked and gowned figure who was hurrying past. He waved vaguely down a long wide hall with well spaced beds on either side. My gown, foot covers, mask and head cover flapping unfamiliarly, I moved at a disorderly speed towards the bed. From a distance, even shrouded in her mask and head cover, she looked grey and worn and pinched. Well, naturally, I thought, it was an eight hour surgery after all.
Arriving, I said "Panda?" Her eyes fluttered and I saw no recognition.in her eyes, a deeply frightening experience. The doctors had told me she had weathered the surgery well and was responsive. But here she was, unblinking, and, I thought, somewhat fearful.. Holding her masked face in my hands in bewilderment and looking for clues to her condition at the surrounding instrumentation, I bent forward to kiss her when from the corner of my eye, I caught a movement further left from her bed.
Panda was in a bed further down, it turned out. I was fondling a complete stranger. When I reached her and leaned over to give her a kiss, she hissed, "What were you doing to that poor woman!" I explained. She sighed, "You're such a dope."
Tagged with: Embarrasing Moment

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