TWO OF A KIND

CHAPTER 1

IVAN

The sharp ring of the alarm clock pulled me out of my sleep. It has been days since I got some proper rest. If I don't change my routine, very soon I will fall sick and I can't afford to do that.

I sat on my bed and rubbed my eyes driving the last vestiges of dormancy away. I looked at the table clock - 4:45 am. Usually, I wake up around 5:30 but today I have a lot to do and if I want to finish my list of to-do things, I better get up and get moving.

Throwing the comforter away, I got up and walked towards the kitchen. I usually need a cup of coffee to start my day, but as I was about to set my coffee machine, I dropped the idea. Instead, I settled on having a glass of hot water and lemon.

I stood by the window of my apartment. I was enjoying the view of the city along with my glass of hot water. Every day when I look at the view I am instantly stuck with two contrasting feelings. The magnificent view of the city reminds me that this is to date one of my greatest investments both financially and emotionally. When I look down on the streets from the balcony, it reminds me of how far I have come from my days of struggle. What I have today, I built it with my hard work and dedication. No one can take that away from me.

The line of my thoughts was interrupted with a feeling of something cold and damp. I looked down to see my pet dog Roxy. He wanted to go out with me. I would have loved to take him out too but sadly today I didn't have the time.

I sat on my knee and looked into his eyes.

"Hey Roxy, Good Morning. I know you want to go out, but I don't have time right now. I promise I will take you out in the evening."

Roxy licked my face in response to my proposal. So I can safely assume he liked it.

Hi, my name is Dr. Ivan Malakov. I am a certified family medicine doctor. I also have a youtube channel named Med Talk with Malakov. I am also engaged in other activities, but I will not waste your time and energy by describing them. If you wish to know about me please go ahead and Google. I have a feeling that by the end of this chapter you will be doing just that.

As today I do not have much time to make it to the gym, I have decided to go jogging. Mostly I take one of my pets when I go out for a walk, but today I don't have time for that. I will take them out for an evening walk.

I enjoy running. It suddenly brings speed to your life. But unlike most of the times in your life, this speed is under your control. This is not the only thing I love about running. When the cool air hits your face, it really feels great. I am not going to take my usual route though; I plan to change the route. I took a left turn and turned towards Brooklyn Bridge and then started walking straight. I don't have any particular destination in mind. The city is relatively quiet at this hour of the day. An ambulance passed by.

Every time I see an ambulance it invokes a sense of mystery in me. Who is inside? What must have happened to him or her? How is the Patient's condition? Will he or she survive the journey to the hospital?

You must be thinking about how a Doctor can be so imaginative. I may come across as very sensitive, which is not considered a great quality in a doctor. Then let me tell you guys I am a doctor but I am a human being as well. I have emotions as well though I am not allowed to express them very often. But I am not complaining - not at all. I have learned to mask my emotions over the years and it has been helpful for me, both personally and professionally.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I did not realize that I have come to a different path. I never intended to come here but I ended up here. I was looking around the street. It was fairly quiet at this time. I stood there for a few moments wondering how I ended up here. As long as I can remember I came here last week but the reason was different.

I looked at my watch to see the clock showing 5:45 a.m. I better leave. I have a lot of work to do. I turned and was about to walk away when I heard a bell. I turned and saw a girl standing near a door of a shop. I can only see her back, but it made me curious. What is she doing in front of a restaurant in such odd hours of the morning? I decided that I will sit down and keep watching.

She opened the door of the shop and entered and closed the door behind her. Moments later she came out of the shop and locked the door behind her. I know there are chances that you might judge me but I decided to follow her.
-

She was holding a medium size bag in her hand. The bag was not made of plastic, it was a different material. If I am not wrong it is made of jute, an organic type of fabric that is currently very popular here though the fabric has originated in India. You are not surprised, are you? I read other books rather than medical journals.

The faded green color of the bag suggests that it has weathered through many washes. She walked for a while and took a right turn. I followed her.

As I took the turn I saw her with them. She opened her bag and brought the contents out from the bag. Those looked like food containers.

If I am not wrong she is distributing the leftovers from her cafe among these people. This is interesting. I can't recall a single cafe or restaurant owner who might do this. So whatever people say about her kind nature it's true.

A dog almost jumped up to her waistline. “Take it easy, Tiger. Look I got food for you. "

She opened one of the containers and placed it in front of the dog. Then she started distributing food among others.

She stood near a homeless boy. He must be in his teens. He was wearing a black shirt with many holes in it. When she stopped in front of her, a different look appeared in his eyes - a look of happiness, admiration, and maybe just maybe affection.

“I will arrange some warm clothes for you as soon as possible. Winter is around the corner you must be prepared. "

Then she looked around and said -"I will try my best to get clothes for all of you. "

" Where is Mr. Francis?” she asked the young boy.

“He has been admitted to the hospital. He finally got an admission to the hospital all thanks to you. "

" Thank you for the information, Harry. I will try to pay him a visit in the evening after work. "

She finally turned to leave and I saw her baby-like face. She was looking pale for some reason. She bid goodbye to everyone and turned to leave.

I was stunned when she turned and looked at me. What am I supposed to tell her? Why am I following her at such odd hours?

She is walking towards me. She walked past me. She looked at me and gave me a warm smile. "Good morning. I hope you have a great day.” Before I could wish her, she walked away.

This was so unexpected that I couldn't even give a cursory response to her wish.

I never understood why they said morning shows the day. But now I know. The beginning of my day seems very unusual; I hope it doesn't affect my day.

I decided to go back to the cafe after a while because I need my daily dose of caffeine. They make wonderful cookies and their coffee is really good.

You are wondering how I know it. I do because I am a regular to this cafe.

~~~●○●~~~

《End of Chapter》