VetStories: 2014

During my teaching days while checking test papers, one of my lady friends barged into my room. "Hello Joseph, please do me a favor," she asked me with a pitiful look and offering me a 1/4 size of paper. I threw her a quizzical stare. "What's the matter? What this paper for?" She straightened in her seat and replied. "Oh, we will have a Christmas party tonight in the ladies dormitory. We will be exchanging gifts and I have a hard time finding a good pseudonym. Oh please, help me," she begged like a child. I chuckled lightly, looked up the ceiling and scribbled down the first word that came to my mind. I handed her the paper. She examined what I have written and lit up a big smile. She blew me a flying kiss and scampered out of my sight. The next day, I met her at the school lobby. She looked irritated and threw sharp glances at me. I inched closer to her. "Hey, are you mad at me? What have I done to you?" I confronted her. With tight lips and sulking voice, she answered me. "Oh, you made stupid in our party. Everybody was laughing at my pseudonym that you gave me yesterday." She then handed me the folded paper. I opened it and was flustered about what I have jotted down. Unmindfully, I have written ‘COITUS” for her.

This morning at the clinic, my veterinary assistant ushered in a middle-aged man with his white, bony dog. He smiled at me coyly. I returned the gesture and offered him a seat while I readied the consultation form. After the history-taking, I proceeded to the examination table to get the dog’s vital signs. As I was about to take the dog’s temperature, he stood up, held my hand and said with a pleading eyes and shaky voice. “Doctor, I want to be honest with you. I don’t have a single penny to pay you. I just can’t stand looking at my sick pet doing nothing to relieve his malady. He is like a brother to me. For the whole week, I sat early in my shop in the street, hoping I could fetch the money for my dog’s treatment. Unluckily, I managed only a single shoe repair.” I was totally stunned. I was not prepared to hear a supplication like that. But I could feel the honesty of the man and felt his love for his dog. I nodded my head, and replied. “Oh, it was great of you to care of your dog. I will treat your dog for free.” I could see the tears swelling in his eyes as he repeatedly thanked me. After medicating the dog, he bid me a good day. As the pair were about to leave, the man turned to me and said, “Doctor, if ever you have damaged shoes, please bring them all to me and I will stitch them for free!”