Mushroom

Things like that happen.

"A CHANCE"

Deep eyes. Exhausted legs. These, all we feel after an 11-7 shift in a ward. We have no time to rest, sleep.

February 9 marked the start of our second week duty at Bangui District Hospital. We had three shifts with 8 hours rest in between. It really sucks! An 8 hours duty, 8 hours rest then 8 hours duty again, and rest for 8 hours and then duty again? "Are you kidding?" That was my initial blurt when I first knew our schedule. We got nothing to do. We are marketing our souls for, for? For our future. Yes, sad to say we are becoming slaves and conformists just for it, the word future.


After our first shift, the 11-7, the group headed to our place - dorm, staff house, whatever it is called! Some immediately grabbed their pillows. Secured. Some are still uneasy. Sounds of quarrelling spoons and forks, angry doors and my big voice talking some shit, I mean complaining of the food, filled the house. So I have to go outside, find an eatery for my breakfast. Two other groupmates went with me.

While on the uncemented road, near ricefields and kilometer away mountains... 

Vhincci: WTH! Imagine we still have to write a letter just to go out? 

Arnold: Yeah, right! (Unexplained face.) 

Warden: Our food fees are going elsewhere! We don't deserve all of this. (The duty schedule and food served to us.)

We were all silent for a moment...

Then,

Vhincci: Shit! (My usual expression after a bad trip and lose situations.) 

Warden: What? Why? 

Vhincci: I just missed capturing the beautiful butterfly that landed in the mushroom.

Warden: Where? 

Vhincci: Here! And I left my camera in the house.

Warden: Sayang! That was a photographic scene! A nice macro shot. 

Vhincci: I know. (Sad face, very.)

             

The above photos were taken afterwards. After eating our breakfast, we went back to our place. I took the camera. Hurried. Excited. Even I missed a chance of capturing a major, dramatic, photographic scene with the butterfly, I am happy of what I glimpsed, of what I beheld. I enjoyed capturing, at least, this mushrooms though the sun was raging and sharp. It is a promise that I will not drain myself looking around, to the environment, sensing nature, appreciating little things.

I am pretty sure that chances are still there.