When I saw the name of the new patient in the queue to see me, I smiled. I recognised it.
I hadn't seen Rick (not his real name) in close to 30 years.
Would he remember me from the many years ago when we attended the same church? Would he notice my name on the door and know it was me he was seeing today?
Rick had turned his life around years ago when he found Jesus Christ and left his life of doing drugs. He started a business of his own with the vocational skills he picked up during his time at the halfway house (for heroin addicts). I remember supporting him then when his business was fledgling.
Wow... so many years gone by. How was he now, I wondered. What was he here to see me for?
The door opened and Rick was accompanied in by another gentleman.
Time had been good to him. He still had a full head of dark hair and barely looked older than how I remembered him. His face was still handsome, but the puckish smile I remembered was gone. He looked tired and weary.
I learnt from the gentleman, who was his minder, that Rick was back in a halfway house for drug addicts.
It was a simple consult. Rick just had the common flu.
Rick could not recognise me at all. Because of the present COVID-19 pandemic, I had on a face mask that covered all but my eyes and I had a pair of goggles on top of that. All he could see were my eyes.
As he got up to leave, I felt tempted to take off my mask and goggles so he could see my face, say to him, "Hey Rick, it's Su!" and hug him, or at least shake his hand.
But in this current climate, being tactile socially seemed like something to be avoided. I didn't know either, if Rick would have wanted me to see him like that now.
So, I just said, "Hey man, take care of yourself."
He did not respond, and was ushered out by his minder. Maybe if he comes back again. Maybe when this darn virus is no longer troublesome.