I drank a lot that day. Even if I emptied my stomach for a little while, my stomach would feel nauseous and rumbling. I held out, thinking it would get better in a day or two, but it didn’t get any better even after a week. In the end, I went to the hospital in a hurry on the weekend.
Saturday afternoon. The only hospital still open nearby was a pediatric hospital. It was commonly called a pediatric hospital. Internal medicine and otolaryngology were listed as departments, but when I went to the waiting room, most of the adults were mothers or fathers holding babies. I felt embarrassed that I had gone to a pediatric hospital with a bottle of alcohol at this age.
I went into the examination room when my name was called. The director was a young man with curly hair and a round face. “So, what is bothering you, Mr. Y?”
“I drank a bit last weekend… and my stomach hurts so bad it’s like gastritis.”
“Oh my, you drank too much. It’s been a while since you’ve had a drink. Shall we meet?”
Once again, I met eyes with the doctor who was listening to me. He had a big smile on his face behind his glasses. I smiled a little awkwardly. It wasn’t a bad feeling of embarrassment. It was like a light scolding to a child who was misbehaving, but with understanding, “That could happen.”
I lay down quietly on the bed. The doctor pressed all over my stomach.
“Does it hurt here?” “I think it’s okay.”
“How is it here?” “Oh, it hurts.”
“You have gastritis. Oh my, your stomach is so hard. You must have been in a lot of pain.”
Even though my stomach was swollen, I felt like my heart was somehow relieved. My stomach was swollen, you must have been in a lot of pain. It wasn’t a big deal, but I felt reassured by the tone and content. I sat back down. The somewhat trite but small request to avoid spicy or oily foods and eat warm and mild foods continued. “Of course, no alcohol either.” I smiled at the addition, bowed my head, and left.
The pharmacy downstairs also had Pororo candies in its basket, perhaps considering the children who visited the pediatric clinic. The colorful candies caught my eye, but I couldn’t bring myself to pick them up.
![Why people in their 30s go to the pediatrician [소소칼럼]](https://dimg.donga.com/wps/NEWS/IMAGE/2024/08/27/126703180.1.png "Why people in their 30s go to the pediatrician [소소칼럼]")
“That’s why people went to the pediatrician when they got the COVID vaccine. I went to the pediatrician too, but I failedㅠ”
My younger sibling said, “I felt dizzy because the pediatrician was so friendly.” Yes, there was something like that. They said that adults, not children, purposely went to the pediatrician to get the COVID-19 vaccine. While hoping that they would put a yellow Pororo character band-aid on the injection site. In response to the question, “Don’t you give out vitamin candies?” there was also a mean comment, “You have to cry to get that, lol.”
‘Just go wherever there’s a vaccine…’
At the time, I thought it was unusual, but after visiting the pediatrician for the first time in a long time, I think I know. It wasn’t just because the band was cute. I feel like I’ve returned to being a sick child. When I had a fever and was lethargic, my mom and dad would take turns giving me a wet towel and giving me my favorite food, and the days when I ‘rubbed my cheek flushed with fever against the hem of my young father’s thin clothes.’
Now… . I only take medicine and go to work if I’m not sick enough to be bedridden. It’s a nuisance to show anyone that I’m sick. If I have parents to take care of and children to look after, my illness would be a burden to me.
Last night, I was waiting for the elevator with a man in the lobby of my apartment. A girl with big eyes, perhaps two or three years old, ran out of the elevator.
“dad!”
The face of the child who greeted her father with the sound of a dolphin was truly beautiful. Could it be that good? The child smiled at me as if he felt my gaze. I smiled back. It was a time when I could smile at someone I didn’t know for no reason, and that smile returned.
Next time I get sick, I’ll pretend I can’t handle it and go to the pediatrics hospital. I feel like it’s a bit far-fetched, but I’m quietly thinking about it.
[소소칼럼]It is a light-hearted piece of writing that talks about things that happen around us or about our little tastes. In order to keep the simple and affectionate feelings from disappearing from us, reporters take turns writing about small things that catch their attention.
2024-08-27 07:36:24