Mr Bob

“ Hi, I am Dilip, your care provider for tonight”, I said. Mr Bob was in the hospital bed. He was about 85 years old, white and big. My greeting fell into the vacuum, no response came. He looked at me, into me and through me. After a few minutes he said, “are you going to be nurse?”

Not a bad question. As I had a different plan, I said ‘no’. I am planning to be intellectual and developmental service worker.” I believe he did not understand me clearly. “I am not entertaining” , he smiled. In this brief chit chat I had build a prespective towards him as a nice gentle white man. 

“ I had never been to hospital. All of a sudden this happened”, his eyes were telling me more than the words. He had strok a couple of week before. Since then he was lying in the hospital bed. I told him about my home country and background. Also I asked if he was ok. 

“ I have cottage in up North. I live there and come come to my home Ajex sometime to cut the grass. I like cottage. But life is very uncertain. You dont know what time you need them. “ while saying this, I could see tears in his eyes. 

“  Are you born in Canada?” I asked him. 

“No. Gremany. I was 19 years when I first came here. I came with a boat, very small boat. I workd all kinds of jobs from race track to construction. Reguale work can not take you anywhere in this country. You have to work extra. I enjoyed work, he told me. 

His words were life lessons. He was reminding me the value of time and hard work. “I have a cottage up North. I made that myself in three years. I put an extra effort. However, it never tired me. I enjoyed the work very much. People tell me I am rich, I have cottage. But trust me, you can have a cottage and house of your dream. Have a big dream. Crumble down the barriars.