Tuesday 31 January 2012

The Call

(By Will Mathonsi)

The first call came when I was about to leave the house. The year’s most anticipated blockbuster was playing in the local cinema, and I had been eagerly looking forward to seeing it. I glanced at my phone. It was an unknown number. I was already running late so I chose to ignore the call.
A minute later the phone rang again. It went on vibrating and ringing with an irritating din, sending my patience plummeting down to its lowest level. Since I was running late I convinced myself I really didn’t have time to deal with calls from unknown sources. Who could this be? What does he or she want? I wondered…

I ignored it for the second time. But as I was about to ease through the front door the phone came alive again. Oh God, what now? What now?! I decided to pick it this time. It had to be an important call for the caller to be so persistent. I was right.

 “Hello Will, Dr.Cropley here” Oh my God, I panicked. Dr.Cropley was the consultant doctor at Royal Free Hampstead Hospital in North London. He specialised in tropical diseases and I had seen him three weeks earlier after referral from my General Practitioner. I had been experiencing a severe cough accompanied by sweaty fever. He had done a preliminary examination, including chest x-rays and blood samples. Surely he must be calling about the results of those tests.

 I was right! But I was not prepared for what he had to say. “You have to be admitted immediately Will, so please make your way to the hospital. We are preparing a room for you, so I will see you when you get here” And with those shattering words, he hung up. My mind was now a hive of confused thoughts. What was going on here? I asked rhetorically.

All my afternoon plans came to an earth-shuddering stop. There would be no cinema for me or dinner at my friend’s house. Instead I faced the terrifying prospect of hospital admission. The Problem was I had never been admitted to a hospital before and I really didn’t know what to expect. I was overwhelmed by a huge feeling of apprehension, and beneath it an undetermined fear. 

(to be continued)

11 comments:

  1. Well Will, you sure have left us all hanging in expectancy. I'll be running to the blog next week to know what happens next.

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    1. Dlaw, thanks for your comment. Pls 'stay tuned' for the next episode next week. lol.

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  2. 'Hanging in anticipation' will be a better way of putting it.

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  3. Ha! Why did he have to cut it short?

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  4. Ha ha ha! The conclusion will come next week. Thanks, Myne.

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  5. What kind of punishment is this... I was already engrossed in the story until I read "to be continued".
    Well, then I guess my comment is "to be continued" on the next post.

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  6. Hehehe! Lanre. Apologies for the inadvertent punishment. Next week you will get the full download.

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  7. Suspense doesn't even begin to describe my feelings when the story suddenly came to a sudden pause...even for me. Much like those drama shows on TV - you are sitting there, eyes wide open, mouth agape, your pulse racing as you follow the story as it twists and turns and then "bam" To Be Continued...then you just sag back into your couch...

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    1. Will, I'm laughing in my seat. That's the trick of the trade. Give 'viewers' just enough to capture their interest, then keep them coming back for more. Thanks for your comment. You must be pleased with the comments coming in.

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  8. Suspense doesn't even begin to describe my feelings when the story suddenly came to a sudden pause...even for me. Much like those drama shows on TV - you are sitting there, eyes wide open, mouth agape, your pulse racing as you follow the story as it twists and turns and then "bam" To Be Continued...then you just sag back into your couch...

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