The receptionist tried to size the girl up. She ‘seemed’ alright but then why on earth did she want an appointment with the psychiatrist? Was she mad? But she looked the perfect girl next door, no signs of being ‘off the rocker’…
‘Excuse me’ …the girl’s quiet voice interrupted her thoughts, ‘I want an appointment with Dr. Chatterjee’.
‘Umm…alright, take a seat’…the receptionist looked positively uncomfortable. The girl didn't seem much bothered; she was used to this sort of behavior; there were times when she had to deal with a lot worse…snide comments, rude remarks – she had endured it all.
Two hours passed. The buzzer rang. It was her turn. The doctor smiled as she entered. The same old cursory smile… “Ah, how are you? Are the medicines working?” …the girl nodded her assent.
“Hmm, you are sleeping alright? No more nightmares? No more suicidal thoughts?”…the girl shook her head.
“Alright…I have just adjusted the dosage for your medicines…”…the doctor gave that practised smile, signed off the prescription with a flourish and gave it to her with an expectant look. She took a 500 rupee note out of her bag and the doctor’s face lit up, this time with a genuine smile.
“Take care…” he was all smiles….
The girl came out of the doctor’s chamber and was just making her way down the corridor when she bumped into a relative. ‘Hiiiiii…what are you doing here?’ she got a quizzical look.
For the first time in the day the girl looked flustered. She tried making up an answer, failed and could just mumble that she was in a hurry. And then she just ran…yes, she was MAD, she didn't have the 'sanity' to understand the world around her...
