On an ordinary busy morning, an old man in his 80s came to remove the stitches from his thumb. It was evident that he was in a hurry, and he said in a slightly trembling voice with excitement that he had important business at 9 o’clock in the morning.
Shaking my head regretfully, I asked him to sit down, knowing that all the doctors were busy and would be able to attend to him in less than an hour. However, watching with what sadness in his eyes he kept looking at the hands of the clock, something seemed to skip a beat in me compassionately — and I decided, since I had no other patients at the moment, to take care of his wound myself.
After examining his finger, I found that the wound had managed to heal well, and after consulting with one of the doctors, I received the necessary tools for removing stitches and medicines for treating the wound.
Taking up close his finger, we started talking. I could not resist and asked him:
“You must have an appointment with the doctor if you’re in such a hurry right now.”
— No, not exactly. I have to get to the hospital to feed my sick wife.
Then I asked what happened to her. And the elderly man replied that, unfortunately, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. While we were talking, I managed to remove the stitches and finished the treatment of his wound. Glancing at my watch, I asked her if she would be worried if he was a little late.
To my complete surprise, my interlocutor said that, alas, she had not recognized him for the last five years.
«She doesn’t even know who I am to her,» he added, shaking his head.
Astonished, I exclaimed:
«And you still go there every morning, even though she doesn’t even know who you are?»
He smiled and patted my hand in a paternal manner, and answered:
She doesn’t know who I am, but I know who she is.
