慈濟傳播人文志業基金會
The Rainbow at the Corner of Her Eye

A fter seeing their doctors in the morning outpatient clinics, one patient after another, accompanied by their families, came to the front desk at the radiology department to add their names to the waiting list for examinations. Even when lunchtime rolled around, the stream of patients was still endless.

At about one o’clock, an elderly woman approached the front desk with an examination slip for an MRI scan in her hand. She looked timid and unsure of herself. I sensed that this was her first visit, so I personally escorted her into an examination room and asked her to change into a hospital gown.

While I was checking her examination slip, I asked, “Do you know what examination you are having today?” “No, I don’t,” she answered, looking embarrassed. I explained to her the procedure she would be undergoing, and I told her she’d be given an injection of contrast dye before the scan.

“Did anyone accompany you to the hospital?” I asked. “No,” she replied, hanging her head low. “My husband had a fight with me last evening, and now he won’t talk to me. When I told him I was coming to the hospital today, he didn’t even offer to drive me here.”

Hearing this, I asked her how she had gotten to the hospital. She said that she had walked here—a 15-minute walk. My heart clenched when I heard her answer. It was sweltering hot outside, and she was about 80 years old. “How are you going to get back home?” I asked. She responded, “I’ll walk, the same way I came here.” Then a look of panic crossed her face. “Wait…Will I be in good enough shape to walk by myself after the examination?”

I put down the syringe I was preparing, and I gently patted her on the shoulder to soothe her. “How about I call your husband and ask him to come here to take you home?” I suggested. “Don’t worry, I’ll put it to him nicely. It’s inevitable for husbands and wives to quarrel sometimes. I’m sure he’ll come around.” The woman perked up at my offer and said, “That would be very nice. Thank you so much for the trouble.”

I dialed her home phone number and then her husband’s cell, but no one answered. Just when the woman was on the brink of tears, her husband finally picked up. I introduced myself to him as a nurse at Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, and then I explained the situation. Before I could finish, the husband blurted out breathlessly, “I’m already at the hospital. Where are you?”

I hung up and relayed the information to the woman. When she learned that her husband was already at the hospital, the tears at the corner of her eyes seemed to evaporate into a beautiful rainbow.

September 2018