OPERATION

She said, ‘I had to go back to hospital for an operation.’
‘What for?’
‘To take some bone marrow for stem cells in case of a relapse.’
‘Where’d they take the marrow from?’
‘They drilled three small holes in the pelvis, at the back,’ she put her fingers where, ‘just here.’
‘Ouch.’
‘Well yes, I had to go in overnight.’
‘That all?’
‘Yes, but it takes a few days to recover, but anyway, listen...
‘I was in a bed opposite an old woman said she’d been in hospital forty-five years ago had her first daughter here and now she’s a grandmother...anyway, I’m opposite her, it’s night and I’m watching TV reading a magazine and she falls off the commode she’s on and I’m thinking, “what’m I going to do, go over to her, call the nurse?” Anyway, I shout, “nurse,” they come running, call the crash team, which they cancel, anyway, they deal with her and she’s okay but I’m like, watching TV and reading the magazine...’
‘Goodness, sounds like a bit of a scene.’
‘Yes, it was...anyway, here’s my bus.’
It was mine too.
I said, ‘bye,’ and waited for the next one.