Entrust My Life To You - Chapter 10

April 4, 2009

It’s said that the Geography department was famous for being a place where women definitely couldn’t surpass men’s ability. When I came to the scene, who said that women were not as good as men?

I leaned forward and looked at a petite girl who was holding her phone: “Re-examination on the Qingming Festival, it’s really on Qingming Festival! If they didn’t pass my test, I would never let them go even if I become a ghost!” After finishing that sentence, the sole of her feet slipped.

(Qingming Festival or Ching Ming festival, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day in English, sometimes also called Chinese Memorial Day or Ancestors’ Day)

When I rushed over, I only had time to lift her from the ground: “Are you from Sichuan?”

That Sichuan girl grabbed my hand and stood up. “Yes, it’s easier to climb more than half of China than come here to do the re-examination.”

This was how I met my future classmates and roommate, Comrade Xiao Cao. Xiao Cao always said, there were so many people, but I was the one who helped her, what an unusual fate ah! I didn’t tell her; actually, some men wanted to help her, but they weren’t as fast as I was.

After finishing the written test, interview, and physical examination, Xiao Cao refused my kindness to show her around the X City: “I’m going home, I have to go back to my hometown. We still have three years in University, take it slowly. There’s no hurry.”

Watched her limp and jumped into a cab, I never asked, ‘Miss, how do you know we would pass the exam?’

April 8, 2009

Three days later, I received an admission text message. At that time, my mother just hung up on a call from the nurses’ office. “There are no beds available today, so your dad can’t be hospitalized.” Nowadays, it became hard to get a bed in that hospital, I looked at the half-filled suitcase beside me, didn’t know if I should finish it or not.

My mother was halfway finished on cook for lunch, and then her phone screen lit up: “There is an early discharged patient in the hospital this afternoon. Come over as soon as possible, it might not be available tomorrow.”

Such a reliable young man.

One o’clock in the afternoon, in the hospital. Doctor Gu had already signed the admission form at the nurse station, and the procedure was very smooth.

After I wiped the table and chair, I went to the bathroom to wash the rag. I received a phone call from Xiao Cao at the front door: Lin Zhixiao, Lin Zhixiao! We will be classmates!”

I laughed: “We probably would also become roommates. There were only four girls who retested. I heard the teacher said that we would live in a four-person dormitory.”

(Four months later, these four girls divided into three dormitory room, Xiao Cao laughed: “Fate is pre-destined!”)

Her cheerful laughter infected me over the phone: “We have three years to stroll in X City until we get tired of it.”

I hung up the phone and turned around. Doctor Gu was five meters away with both hands on his back. I didn’t see him in twenty days, the warm flavor of his smile gradually concentrated, along with the season.

In the warm afternoon sun, I almost raised my hand and blurted out, “hi.” Unfortunately, I was holding a rag on my left hand and cellphone on the other side.

“Hello, Doctor.”

His eyes swept over my cellphone and nodded.

“Thank you.” The competition to get an available bed was so intense.

He smiled: “You’re welcome; it’s something I should do.” He walked around me and went into his office. I looked at his back, felt that he was a little different. A long-time later, he calmly told me: ‘Oh, that time, my heart rate was a bit faster.’

In the afternoon, My mother accompanied Teacher Lin to the examination. They sent me to consult about the chemotherapy program.

I knocked on the door: “Doctor Gu.”

The man who was facing the computer screen typed in the prescription, turned his head and looked at me for five seconds. Then he patted the chair next to him: “Have a seat.”

With the charming man beside me, I was sitting upright and still. I was afraid that I would have a cerebral hemorrhage. So, I looked to his flying fingers. Just when I thought that ‘it’s such a waste that he didn’t play piano,’ his finger stopped.

I looked up, and Doctor Gu also looked at me with a ridiculous smile: “What are you going to ask?”

I dazed stupidly while looking at other persons’ hands, and I awkwardly held my forehead: “Teacher Lin’s chemotherapy program.”

He pulled out the pen from his chest pocket, opened the book on my hand. He explained to me while he wrote: “XELOX Program. The main ingredient for chemotherapy is oxaliplatin. That is a platinum anticancer drug in small quantities. Later, we will add some drugs to protect his liver and heart. Moreover, Xeloda will be taken orally at the same time.”

“How about Chemotherapy’s effect?” This was my biggest concern.

“It varies for every person. Oxaliplatin has some toxicity and may cause nausea and even vomiting.”

When I got out of the Doctor’s office, I looked at the mixed Chinese and English handwriting in my book. I was wondering if the quality of the Doctor’s service become so good. I heard Doctor Gu’s voice behind me: “Lin, Lin –“

I turned my head and saw him keep the word ‘Lin’ on his mouth: “Lin Zhixiao.”

“Oh, Lin Zhixiao.” The Doctor paused, “Buy a pair of gloves for your father, and he must not touch any metal and cold things during the chemotherapy.”

Then he turned and walked back to his office. I saw him murmur: “It’s like a boy’s name…”

Special Dialog:
Doctor: Hahahahaha…
(beside him could only giggle.)
Doctor: No, I feel that I was so stupid at that time.