Kids nowadays
She was small for her age, bright eyed with sleek blonde hair neatly combed into two bunches and tied up with shining purple ribbons.
She stood in front of me, shyly fiddling with the hem of her denim pinafore and picking at her tights which were candystriped pink and purple in the the tradition of Pippi Longstocking. There was a small bruise on her forehead where it had made contact with a glass sliding door.
I smiled at her in what I hoped was a non-threatening manner and was rewarded by a brief flash of pearly whites. I turned to her mother, a large humourous lady with flyaway hair, to reassure her that Pippi hadn't broken her crown and wouldn't require the usual vinegar-and-brown-paper treatment. Mrs Longstocking laughed and gestured with her winter-chapped hands, patting her faded teeshirt to show me her fear, then clutching anxiously at her threadbare patched trousers.
I glanced back at Pippi, whose outfit had the texture of the brand spanking new, and I knew where all the household expenses were going. She had kept silent during my conversation with her mother, interrupting us only once to ask for her waterbottle.
Pippi, being a typical toddler, managed to take a swig from the waterbottle only after spilling a few drops of water on the floor and on her clothes. She looked at me apologetically and reached out with one dimpled hand, pointing at the tissue dispenser on the wall. I passed her a few tissues and she wiped her mouth fastidiously.
Then she crumpled the tissues up, squatted down and wiped the floor, before running to the dustbin to throw them away.
Her mother smiled at her proudly, and they both waved goodbye as they walked towards the door.
I walked back to my desk to finish writing up the discharge summary and was halfway through it when I felt a tug on the back of my scrub trousers.
"Tank oo, Doctor!", said Pippi.
"Why, you're very welcome!"
Her mother was waiting patiently at the exit of the A&E and Pippi, pleased with herself, ran to meet her.
I grinned at them as they left. So there is hope for the future...and this really proves that one does not need to be rich in order to have good upbringing.
My heart swelled within me.
I gotta get me one of those.
She stood in front of me, shyly fiddling with the hem of her denim pinafore and picking at her tights which were candystriped pink and purple in the the tradition of Pippi Longstocking. There was a small bruise on her forehead where it had made contact with a glass sliding door.
I smiled at her in what I hoped was a non-threatening manner and was rewarded by a brief flash of pearly whites. I turned to her mother, a large humourous lady with flyaway hair, to reassure her that Pippi hadn't broken her crown and wouldn't require the usual vinegar-and-brown-paper treatment. Mrs Longstocking laughed and gestured with her winter-chapped hands, patting her faded teeshirt to show me her fear, then clutching anxiously at her threadbare patched trousers.
I glanced back at Pippi, whose outfit had the texture of the brand spanking new, and I knew where all the household expenses were going. She had kept silent during my conversation with her mother, interrupting us only once to ask for her waterbottle.
Pippi, being a typical toddler, managed to take a swig from the waterbottle only after spilling a few drops of water on the floor and on her clothes. She looked at me apologetically and reached out with one dimpled hand, pointing at the tissue dispenser on the wall. I passed her a few tissues and she wiped her mouth fastidiously.
Then she crumpled the tissues up, squatted down and wiped the floor, before running to the dustbin to throw them away.
Her mother smiled at her proudly, and they both waved goodbye as they walked towards the door.
I walked back to my desk to finish writing up the discharge summary and was halfway through it when I felt a tug on the back of my scrub trousers.
"Tank oo, Doctor!", said Pippi.
"Why, you're very welcome!"
Her mother was waiting patiently at the exit of the A&E and Pippi, pleased with herself, ran to meet her.
I grinned at them as they left. So there is hope for the future...and this really proves that one does not need to be rich in order to have good upbringing.
My heart swelled within me.
I gotta get me one of those.
posted by tscd at 4:51 pm
5 Comments:
This brought a smile to my face. - D W
D W: It brought one to mine too. :)
Mmm. Love the way you write. It's always pleasant to read actual writing, with a real lilt and everything.
ray: Thanks! I always thought of my writing as a sort of brain vomit, but your way of describing it is much nicer. :)
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