The Deal

A Reason to Worry

Sima had just barely turned 21 years old. She was about to start her last year of college to become a pharmacist. She was so stressed out last year with all the assignments that she had to complete. There was so much that she needed to remember. It was incredible. She lived at home and attended the local university. She had been working during summer vacation at their family's restaurant, because her mom had not been feeling well and had been missing work.

Sima was helping to pay the bills. Sima told her mom that she needed to go to the doctor to figure out what was wrong with her. Her mom said they didn't have insurance and had no money to pay for the doctor's visit. Sima couldn't believe her ears. She thought everything was fine financially with her family. Her dad owned a restaurant that was doing well most of the time. Sima was helping to wait tables and close up the restaurant in the evenings. She knew that her parents worked very hard. Owning a restaurant is hard work. Sima knew she didn't want to work there forever. That is why she wanted to get an education in a profession that paid well, so she wouldn't have to run the restaurant when she got older.

One day after work, she called a clinic to see how much the doctor's visit would cost. They said it would be $115 just to see the doctor. Sima started saving her tips to get her mother an appointment to be seen. She knew that if there was treatment or medicine needed it would cost even more, so she saved up $250, just to be on the safe side. So many things were going through her head. She thought about quitting school to help her dad at the restaurant full-time. She thought about calling her uncle in Dubai to help her mom with money to get treatment. Sima knew that if she called him, she would need to give him something in return. She thought about finishing school and hoping that the money she made as a pharmacist would help her mom. All these things were going through her head.

She called the clinic to make an appointment. She told her mother that she would be paying for everything and that she didn't need to worry about the money. Sima and her mom checked in at the clinic and were waiting to see the doctor. Sima accompanied her mother into the exam room. The doctor asked her questions about the issues that she was experiencing. She said her stomach had been hurting very badly. The doctor felt around the abdomen. Sima's mother winced and whimpered in great pain. The doctor looked very concerned. He told her not to worry and asked me to go out in the hallway. His look of calm concern turned into extreme worry. He told me that my mom needed to go to the emergency room right away, or she could die. He then walked over to the desk and told them to call an ambulance. He walked back to me and told me that he suspected that mom could have many different types of issues. He felt inflammation in the abdomen that needed to be treated quickly. He said that the clinic doesn't have the needed equipment for this type of procedure. He asked how long she had been feeling this way and I said at least a week, maybe longer. I told him that she didn't have insurance to pay, so she didn't come until now. He said he was sorry, but it was about to get more expensive, but at least she will be alive.

Sima was so scared at this point. She walked back into the exam room. She told her mom that she would go with her to the hospital. Her mom expressed concern about the cost. Sima explained that the money didn't matter as long as she was well. She could believe her mom could be going through such pain and be worrying only about the cost. Sima realized that she should have brought her mom to the clinic much sooner.

The ambulance arrived. Sima's mom got in and Sima followed behind in her car to the hospital. As soon as Sima's mother arrived, they rushed her in to get a CAT scan to figure out what the inflammation was in her abdomen and to give her some pain relief. They saw in the images that her appendix was about to rupture. She was immediately prepared for the surgery and wheeled away to start the surgery. At that point, Sima called her dad to let him know what was happening. He didn't answer at first. She called him a second time. This time he answered.

"What is it, Sima? You know I am busy with the restaurant right now," he said.

"I took mom to the clinic today to have her checked out. She was taken to the hospital by ambulance, because they said if he didn't go she could die," I told him. "She had a CAT scan. They found that she would need to have her appendix removed. It is about to explode. If it had exploded, she could die."

"Oh my! I will need to get these people out of the restaurant. As soon as they leave, I will be there," he explained.

"Dad, there is no rush. She will be in surgery for at least 2 hours," I explained. "I will stay here, don't worry."

"Ok, Sima. I will put a sign that says closed for family emergency, so no one else comes in," he said. "I will come after these customers are finished with their meal."

"Ok, dad," I said, "I'll see you soon."

Sima walked in to the waiting room to find a place to sit down. She sat down and put my head in my hands. She felt a sense of worry and relief all jumbled together. The same things that she was thinking about earlier about the financial troubles started coming to her mind again. This time with a real reason to worry. All the costs will add up for this. She wished she was well -off, so she didn't need to worry about money and the cost of everything. She was glad that her mom was going to be okay, however. She also felt a sense of guilt at how she had not made her mom come to the clinic sooner.