C1 The Stage

Things that appear glorifying outwardly do not always assume the same shape inwardly.

Human beings are like that too, as if they belong to the same genealogical chart with every other thing.

Dr Richard O'Neil woke from bed and thought that the day would be like every other day. He had not seen a change and did not expect to see one, especially on that day.

ln fact, he did not know that there was possibility of a change occurring at all.

Sand, frosted with cold, crunched under his feet as he ran along the curving shore.

His muscles had warmed, and moved fluid as oiled gears in the second Mile of his morning run.

His pace was a fast and disciplined jog, and his breath rushed out in white plumes.

He felt fabulous.

The wintry beach held no footprints but his own, and his were stamped, as he jogged back and forth across the gentle sweep of winter beach.

He loved the winter best.

As he slowed his pace a bit, not only to cool down but prolong the solitude. He often took her morning runs with his son's dog, Belly, but this morning he had slipped out alone.

Alone was another thing he liked best.

And he'd wanted to clear his mind. There was a great deal to think about. Some of which he preferred not to, so he tucked those annoyances and problems away for now. What had to be dealt with wasn't precisely a problem. You couldn't call something that made you happy a problem.

Dr Richard O'Neil's wife, Marina O'Neil, was a long legged, blonde with eyes like prime whiskey.

She always ranked first in the family to rise from sleep every morning. She normally woke at 5:00am and go down the kitchen to make breakfast.

She worked in a commercial Bank where coming late to work was hardly condoned. Being a bank staff for over five years had changed her to an early riser, while she always flicked those eyes, her wide, pretty mouth always stayed serious and sometimes unsmiling.

Overall she was a middle-aged, attractive woman, with a very interesting smile, that would easily make a man fantasies about her, but she always were her wedding ring on her finger that stopped her as much proximity to male office staffs.

ln order for her to marry the workloads of her office, with her domestic responsibilities, without leaving one to suffer at the expense of the other.

Richard O'Neil jnr. was the eldest son, he was about eleven years old. He would always wake at about the time his mother would be finishing with the settings up breakfast.

Dr Richard slammed into his apartment at 7:00am,

And peeled off his sports wear as he raced to the bathroom.

"Darling... your back." Marina's voice sounded form the kitchen, as she put together some sandwiche and cookies.

"Hey.. I'm." He responded from the bathroom.

"Dad, we're ready for school." Richard jnr sounded form the dining area.

He'd always wanted to be a Doctor and a family man. He hadn't made a big deal of it. The demands of his responsibility to the family had been a dream come true. He had nothing to regret that the responsibilities had to hang on his neck.

He was full of thanks to God who was actually in control, and his Loving, caring and supportive wife, who made it possible for him to discharge those onerous responsibilities with ease.

He walked out of the bathroom, straight to his bedroom.

His apartment was big and cluttered. his leaving room was a large space, with an area to one side devoted to a long leather sofa, Two sink-into-me armchairs and a wide-screen TV. The double window was shielded with blinds. The carpet was cozily thick and stone-gray.

He yanked open his closet door and pushed through a selection of clothes_ in search of a suitable shirt and pants. if he could manage a quick change, he might actually have time to slap together a sandwich or stuff a handful of cookies into his mouth before dropping the kids at school, aheading to his office.

"Dad, we're late. Dad......." Richard jnr with a very loud voice. Now he's looking a little bit up, while glancing at the wall clock.

"Honey, Hurry these kids are late." Marian added.

"Am sorry guys, let's go." As picks his car keys and stuffed a handful of cookies into his mouth.

"Mom, we're off. See you at lunch time."

"Okay guys, Love you......." Marian replied.

Richard jnr and Ann's school was a good twenty five minutes away, and half again that much if he attempted to drive in rush hour traffic.

Luckily there was little traffic, and let a enough time to drive to Richard jnr's school if he got straight down to the garage and hit all the lights on green.

Good parents like Dr Richard who have the internet of his family first at heart consider the exercise of running their children to school as worth it. They derive great Joy from the family as no one could justifiably claim not to belong to one.

At 8:45 Dr Richard reached his office under this atmosphere of great happiness, after dropping his children at school. There was an emergency case brought to the hospital that morning and yearning for immediate attention of an expert.

The emergency case was as a result of an accident that occurred in the home of a certain family that morning, not far off the hospital.

The victim was a child of five years old. The child had been prepared for school and give breakfast, Sandwich and bread. while a fish sauce was for his Dad, Explained by the victims mother.

"He went for the fish sauce immediately. No one knew how it all happened. whether he ate the sauce hurriedly and failed to notice that there was fish-bone. it did go down his stomach quite all right through the right track."

Dr Richard saw the child writhing in great pain, his eyes were gauging out like someone that a hundred boxers had pulled heavy punches on his eyes.

He quickly rang two of their medical doctors to report at the office immediately to form a team with him for an operation on the child.

An urgent operation was quickly arranged, Dr Richard and two other doctors retired to the theatre with the child at 9:00 on the dot.

The attention given to the child's case by Dr Richard and his team was commendable but a breach of official protocol of the hospital. Under normal circumstances,a patient has to obtain a card.

This rule was not followed in the child's case. lt was a confusing situation that everyone thought of nothing else than the safety of the child and to have done otherwise.

"Sweetheart, Stop crying. He will be fine. Jason said."

Evelyn, on her hands and knees, didn't look up. She was a woman who made worry an art, and she worried about Jack.

Someone had to. Frustrated, he looked down at the sable brown hair twisted untidily into a knot on top of her head.

Her neck was slender, pale, her shoulders curved slightly forward as she rested her weight on her forearms. she had a delicate build, with the kind of fragility Jason had always associated with nineteenth-century English aristocrat ladies.

She wore a T-shirt and jeans that were both faded and slightly damp from perspiration. When he looked at her hands, fine boned, elegant hands, and saw they were grimy, he shuddered.

He knew she was going through a hell. Jason understood women go through odd moods in case the these.

"Sweetheart, just how long are you going to go on this way?"

"Until my son is out of the theatre." Her voice was low, and husky.

He had a responsibility to her and, damn it, to himself. Joson blew out a long breath, an old habit he had whenever he meet with opposition. it was up to him to talk some sense into her, to calm down and stop crying.

"Sweetheart, I Love you and Jack. You know I do. So calm down and stop crying. trust me, he'll be fine."

This time Evelyn turned her head, looking up with a flash of a smile that involved every inch of her face the mouth that stopped just short of being too wide, the chin a bit the sweep of cheekbones that gave her face a diamond shape.

Now she sat back on her haunches, blowing a wisp of hair out of her eyes as she looked up at the man who was frowning at her.

She felt a tug of affection, a tug of amusement. Both had always come easily to her. "Jason, I love you and Jack too.

"Now Stop acting like an old woman. You shouldn't be grubbing around on your hands and knees."

"l can't help it." she said simple.

it was the very simplicity of the tone that told him he, she's calm. "I think you need a mug of coffee."

"Oh, honestly. I do." She replied on a low voice.

"Good... I'll be right with it."

He walked to the hospital reception area, and ordered for a mug of coffee. After receiving his order he walked back quickly to his wife.

"Here, you have it."

"Thanks."

After an hour and half, Dr Richard emerged from the theatre area, with a big smile on his face, which could easily give out how well all the operation went.

"Mr and Mrs Williams, congratulations. The operation was successful. Your son is doing good."

"Thanks you Doctor." Jason Williams said.

"Thank you Doctor." Evelyn said , "can we see him

now?" she asked with a huge smile.

"Yeah...in few minutes. my team is cleaning him and they will be done in few minutes. I'll be in my office now."

"Thank you."

As Dr Richard walked towards his office, his phone rang..