FROM ROS D. BALANE

I'd like you to meet a Kumpare whom I never saw for a long  time already.Ros Balane is a writer, a UP Mass Communications graduate and he is now the head of a government bureau in Manila. We met in Los Banios where I worked for 4 years. In fact He was the one who selected me for the Los Banios job on the recommendation of mrs. Loreto Mizal,  even without the benefit of an interview.

 

Those Los Banios days are as colorful as Mt. Makiling whom we were trying to save from the "bad" kaingineros. Ros and I had to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find ideas for stories that we could send to the magazines and the inhouse printing press in UPCollege of Forestry. But I'll not wander too much from the main story of this morning which is....

 

THE PGH INTERNS and THE ROOSTER

Four young medical interns including Dr. Arlan at the gov’t-run Philippine General Hospital (PGH) had a long and tiring night duty in the various charity wards for charity patients (non-paying) inside the hospital.

 

The interns, four young ladies and one young man, were dead tired and very sleepy and were ready to drop dead. Tired, hungry and exhausted and sleepy too!

 

But time  off was at 7am! It was only 5am and time off was still two hours away!

 

While three of the young lady interns were dozing-off and catching a few winks at their respective stations in the Ambulatory Section of the Emergency Dept., Dr. Arlan was busy attending to a middle-aged woman, taking her blood pressure, then applying the stethoscope on her chest and at her back.

 

The male intern, a Dr. Bondoc, was likewise busy attending to a middle-aged man.

 

As Dr. Arlan was giving her patient the necessary prescriptions and instructions, an elderly man came in and waited for Dr. Arlan’s patient to leave.

 

It was quarter to 6am and the three lady interns who dozed off suddenly awoke. They heard the rooster brought by the elderly man crow to signal sunrise! They were rubbing their eyes, some saliva on their mouths and straightening their hair and uniforms.

 

They were staring at Dr. Arlan and her patient who had a rooster with him.

The male intern Dr. Bondoc had also finished with his patient and also eyed the elderly man and his rooster.

 

“Kook-koo-roo-kook! Kook-koo-roo-kook!”( the Filipino version of cock-a-doodle-doo!) the rooster crowed to the surprise of the other patients, nurses, and others.

 

Dr. Arlan was uneasy but kept her cool. She was no longer sleepy.

 

“Ano po ang nararamdaman ninyo Tatang?” (what ails you, Grandpa?) she asked.

 

“Wala naman po doktora!” (There’s nothing wrong with me doctor) the old man said. “Itong dala kong manok dito ang may nararamdaman doktora!” (It’s my rooster here who is not feeling well) said the elderly man. The rooster blurted out another loud crow and the interns were now all awakeand all had their eyes on Dr. Arlan and the old man and his rooster.

 

<FONTSIZE=1>Getting uneasy and uncomfortable, Dr. Arlan became fidgety. Dr. Bondoc whispered something to Dr. Arlan, then took over and continued asking the old man.

 

“Ano po ang sakit ng manok nyo, Tatang?” (What ails your rooster, Grandpa?)

 

“Sinisipon siya ng kaunti doktor at walang ganang kumain!” (He’s got a cold , doctor and he has little appetite.)

 

Dr. Arlan and the three other interns were now snickering nearby and their attention riveted to the on-going little drama.

 

Out of the blue, Dr. Bondoc gave the anti climax.

 

“Ilang taon pa lang po ba yang manok nyo?” (How old is your rooster?)

 

“Tatlong taon pa lang, doktor!” (He’s only three years old, doctor.)

 

And the climax!

 

“Ah-h-h-h-h dun nyo dalhin yan sa pediatrics, Tatang, bata pa pala yan e!” (Ah-h-h-h-h you should bring him to pediatrics Grandpa because he is still a minor.)

 

The old man thanked Dr. Bondoc, stood up and went out of the door, with Dr. Bondoc pointing out to him the way to pediatrics.

 

The snickering lady interns were now all bursting into uncontrollable laughter, forgetting their hunger, exhaustion and lack of sleep.

 

THE END

 

-Ros D. Balane

 

***

 

note: Dr. Arlan, Ros  youngest daughter,  is my God daughter. I never saw her for years so I guess I owe her tons of Xmas presents!