AN INDELIBLE CONFERENCE

AN INDELIBLE CONFERENCE

The previous day had been laden with inclement weather as the flood gate of heaven was let open for an unending torrential downpour which had continued till the following morning.
As I woke up in the early hours of morning over the sound of an alarm clock placed beside my head, I was hesitant to arise from my bed. The cold weather seemed to have paralyzed every nerve and the sweet sound sleep was also exerting its own influence. I subconsciously grabbed the phone and switched off the alarm which I had earlier set at 3:45am. Still gripped by the irresistible force of sleep, I yawned, stretched, rolled to the other side of the bed and continued my sleep.

Suddenly, I felt a gentle touch on my leg and I jerked up from my bed with great alacrity as though some kilovolts of electric energy had been bombarded through my body. Behold! it was a bright new day.
"Aren't you going to the hospital today?" my roommate asked, already dressed and ready to set off for work. I quickly picked up my phone and checked the time. It was 7:30am. I sighed under my breath. "Can I still meet up with today's clinical meeting?" I asked myself.

Notwithstanding, I must be there because our unit was to present two series of Mortality Reviews. Without any slight time to observe my morning devotion, I took my towel and other toiletries, plunged into the bathroom and observed the routine body cleansing. I quickly wore my striped T-shirt and khaki coloured Gino's trousers with good sartorial design. However, my tie constituted a significant impediment to my hasty preparation. It had been hung unknotted after washing it the previous day. The first one I knotted appeared too long, longer than the professor's tie almost running across the flap of my trousers. I had to adjust it severally before I obtained an acceptable length with good outfit. By this time, it was already 8:00am. I quickly slung my bag by my side and hurriedly set off for the hospital.

I boarded a tricycle (Keke) from the nearest bus top to my house and in ten minutes time, I had already arrived at the hospital. I climbed the stairs with a wide pace each covering about three steps and after climbing four flights of stairs, I arrived at the surgery conference venue which was located at the second floor of the hospital two-storey complex.
I could hear the voice of my Senior Register over the microphone. The Mortality Review had commenced.

The sitting arrangement in the conference room made it impracticable for anyone to enter the room unnoticed as the entrance directly faces the audience.

Having noticed the meeting already in progress, I briskly and surreptitiously walked into the room with boldness and sat unperturbed. In my mental state of innocence, I thought nothing was wrong.
Little did I know that the Head of Department (HOD) of surgery had a hidden agenda. A moment afterwards, he signaled me to stand in front of the whole assembly of doctors as a comeuppance for lateness to the conference. Initially, I could not decipher what he meant by that gesture. As a beginner in surgery fresh from medicine, I did not expect any form of embarrassment as regards lateness to conference. After all, it was only about 10 minutes after the conference had begun. A resident doctor sitting beside me could deduce my state of naivety. He whispered to me what the HOD meant by that signal.

I had cherished attending surgery conference for some reasons not farfetched. It serves as an eye opener to the latest advancement in surgical practice. It also offers me the opportunity to judge and compare the various management protocols of my senior colleagues and above all widens my clinical horizon through an unlimited exposure to a myriad of clinical cases.

The HOD is a middle aged man in his late forties or early fifties. He wears a jovial benign physical appearance however his unbridled extreme strictness has tilted him into a callous malignant fellow with a streak of sadism.
It was said that he mandated his lower rank professional colleagues to always be at the car park every morning to await his arrival, welcome him as soon as he arrives and carry his bags and luggage to his office before the commencement of the day's clinic or ward round.

As I moved forward to stand in front of the assembly in obedience to his order, he beckoned me to jam the doors. I decided to take advantage of this. I jammed the doors and pretendedly turned back to resume my seat as if that was the only instruction given to me. This time, he vehemently gestured me to remain where I was. I obeyed him and remained standing till the end of the meeting. My eyes were red as I left that place in utter state of melancholia.

SON OF THE KINGDOM STORY....