I have been listening to people all my life. Initially I had to do at as a child, because I had no option. Then in school and college, it was the discipline that made me do it. When I qualified, I had to do it professionally, and I have been doing it well all the time. I have listened to so many people, that I would have been surprised if I met someone with a new style of speech. Well, I was surprised the other day. She was a young woman, who came to the outpatient clinic. She kept hovering around for some time. She would approach my table, stay there for a minute and then move back. After she went through these cycles thrice, I presumed she wanted to see me, but was not being able to do so.
"Do you want to see me?" I asked her.
"Yes, doctor? I want to see you?" she said.
"What is the problem?" I asked. The outpatient clinic was so crowded that I had to get to the point immediately, rather than spend time on pleasantries.
"I had a 2 months' abortion doctor? I had to undergo a curettage? Now I am having blood stained discharge?"
I was surprised by her questions. The sentences ended in question marks, but the content of her speech was information, not questions.
"How long do you have this problem?" I asked.
"Fifteen days? Right from the time of the abortion?" she said.
"You need a check-up" I said. "Will you please pass urine and go into that cabin for a check-up?"
"OK, doctor?" she said. "I hope it is not something serious?"
"Don't worry. I does not sound very serious" I said.
She was seen by another person in the clinic. I saw her again the next day while we were taking ward round.
"Who is getting her microbiologic report?" asked my colleague who had seen her the day before.
"My husband has gone to get the report?" she said.
We moved on to the next ward after seeing her.
"Did you notice anything different about the last patient we saw?" I asked the colleague who had admitted her to the ward.
"The one who asks questions?"
That was answer enough.
"Why do you think she ends each sentence as a question?" I asked.
"Perhaps she is stressed."
That woman had been relaxed the day before, and definitely on that day. I think she must have been impressed by some actor in some movie(s) she must have watched, and was trying to imitate that person's style of speech.
