Ellaisaire built her credentials on in-house pieces of training and day-to-day work experience. She was as good as any other.
She looked at the zealous youthful University graduates joining the labor market in their thousands every year and saw how they clamored for higher pay and better working conditions. It was because they had invested in their profession and that was good. To her, mentoring is what they needed most.
While their clamoring helped to push up the minimum pay and therefore directly benefitted her, Ellaisaire preferred to work hard for the benefit of her patients. She convinced herself that hers was a divine call. One for which she will be accountable. She had a snag list though; an occupational snag list.
One item on Ellaisaire's snag list was the wife of her boss. Were it not for the fact that her boss's wife had made herself an effective pesky brat, Ellaisaire would have her mind fixed on working here for a long time?
As she walked past the receptionist at the Administrators' office, the Director's office, and finally her office, Ellaisaire was fully made up in her mind to outsmart whatever trick or trap the devil lay before her, including those traps coming through her boss' wife. The walls of her office were draped with diagrams of the human anatomy, charts with procedures, telephone numbers, and drawings of human anatomy. Anyone coming to this office would immediately know that the officeholder had the power to read all appertains to nursing.
When she put on her white overall with a stethoscope around her neck, the presence she commanded spoke of care, commitment, and duty.
She now sat down on her desk, paused for a moment of prayer, and then went out to oversee the change of duty at the clinic. The expectant lady had been admitted to another health facility. Her bed remained empty. When doctors came to do their round, Ellaisaire was there. Again, this exercise took place without a hitch. In short, this day had begun on a positive note.
It was at around 3:30 am that the Director sought to see Ellaisaire. He asked her to come to the office immediately; the message was relayed by the tea girl. Ellaisaire took some time to consider the nature of this meeting and since she could see no clue from the message, she locked her office door behind her and made her way to the Director's office. A burly man with a receding hairline sat on the edge of his desk in a sober mood. At his age, he was doing well healthwise.
After perfunctory greetings, he said, "Ellaisaire, your incessant run-ins with the administrator are not helping anyone and for this reason, the board has no other option, but to ask you to show cause why disciplinary action may not be taken against you." He continued, "Please pass by the reception for a letter to that effect."
Ellaisaire never saw any justifiable reason for a 'show cause why disciplinary action'. She felt betrayed, cheated, robbed of her dignity. The letter, she picked at the reception, said that a special meeting had been convened and that she needed to be there in person. Irrespective of the outcome of this meeting her services would be dispensed with immediately. She left St. Helena Medical Centre by the first bus and was at her favorite couch in a record 20 minutes. What she had raised from scratch and struggled to build was no more.
In much the same way Sony needed counseling and guidance, she would benefit from the same now. Only that she did not know whether it would be a psychiatrist, a pastor, a social worker, a marriage counselor, a psychologist, or a traditional healer. She was sick of everything and everyone.
And now looking at the walls of her recently refurbished home, Ellaisaire let her troubled mind dwell for some time at one photograph of Jose. The man in this photograph looked back at her no matter the angle she stood. It was the smile on his face that beamed joy and life; things she so much longed for. She pulled down this photograph and held it close to her chest for some time then placed this photograph on her sideboard and went back for another photograph. This time around, she picked her own photo. This photo was taken when she first met Professor Fernandes during a symposium. She called to memory, the sweet baritone voice, the dimples, and the gaze that swept her off her feet. She remembered that she was unable to look into the Professor's eyes and that there was cold sweat streaking down her spine. She put this photo next to hers on the sideboard.
Ellaisaire slipped into her bed and slept for about an hour.
When she got up from sleep, Ellaisaire's initial response to the photos that now faced off on the sideboard, was that of wonder. There was so much life between the two photos and yet none between the person those photos portrayed. And the distance between them was growing. She took the photos where they belonged. She wondered where Jose had disappeared to. Even though she was not in good mood for a conversation, She had a feeling he'd be somewhere around the house. Probably doing his listening surveys.
It was not long before Jose walked in. Looking at her all gloomy and sullen, he read the spirit and the mood of the occasion correctly. And not wishing to worsen the situation, went to the kitchen. He knew a cup of coffee was the only remedy. So the couple settled for a cup of coffee as the day went on.