Just Li'Es

How did the interview with the specialist go off? asked my husband over dinner.

Well, I found him blowing his trumpet a little too much, I said.

Nothing unusual I suppose, perhaps he wanted to impress you so that you would do a good story, he said.

On the other hand, I thought half of what he said may not be true, anyway, I ‘ll have to cross check, I said.

Cross check facts or his self eulogy?  

He said he doesn’t charge his patients a high fee like most in his profession and that he would offer free consultation to poor patients.

That means he must be really an altruist, wish more doctors emulated his example, observed my husband.

Also he claimed that he was the only one in his profession who had a sense of humour. It appears he has Published  a compilation of his  own jokes and he gave a free copy to his patients  (heart patients) as he believed  Laughter was the best medicine.

Yes, I completely agree with him. He really seems to be an exception among his tribe, said my husband who appeared overawed by  my interviewee.

By the way, did he give a copy to you too? he wanted to know.

Yes, he did, but I didn’t realize the   bait. 

Why, what happened? 

Even as I thanked him, he extended a copy of another book he had written and asked me to pay for it.

What was that book about?

It was another compilation of his writings. He said it comprised different genres of his writings.

What he said next provoked me no end and I retaliated.

What did he say and what have you said? asked my husband with a worried expression(he was of the strong  opinion  that one should not offend medical practitioners).

He said it was distressing to see women writers confining themselves to womanly topics and to a single genre   and they lacked a sense of humour.

I told him he was not only under a misapprehension but was ill-informed as well because there are bylines of writers of different genres including humour appearing in the media and new media and they happen to be of women.

I even added mischievously that one of them is into her 100th column in the last genre.

You know what he said to that which really proved that he was an MCP? I said.

He said I must be joking and if at all what I said was true, he thought the columnist must be having a ghost writer who  he was sure was a man.

N Meera Raghavendra Rao