Debbie's arrival

    I continued working for the Tax Department until about the seventh month. I had changed my health-care doctors to the Railway Clinic since Mel was working as the Railway Photographer and as such he and  his family were entitled to full medical care. The Doctor to whom I was assigned was Dr. Drummond, an unmarried  man who proved to be averse to pregnant women. During the last few weeks of my pregnancy I started to faint quite often, and since I had a  history of anemia I asked if he would take a blood test which he refused to do stating, "I'm tired of pregnant women, they always think there is something wrong with them." So, I went on fainting and did not ask again. When  eventually I went into labour, Dr. Drummond just happened to be too ill to attend

Married two months . . .

    After we were married about two months I started having pain in my stomach. Since I was still working I went to the medical complex which I had used and they assigned me to the woman doctor. She examined me and then asked, "How long have you been married?" I told her and she started scolding me, she said, "There is absolutely nothing wrong with you and you should be ashamed of yourself! Start considering your poor husband and give him more attention. Stop being such a crybaby!" Well, I was pretty devastated and after church the next day we went to my parents' home for lunch. I had another severe attack and Rona said, "You need to go to the doctor!" to which I replied, "I'm not going back again to be told that iI am imagining things!" She said, "Don't be silly, you are obviously in a lot of pain" Well, I returned the next day and was assigned to one of the male doctors. As soon as he examined me he sent me to their surgeon who immediately sent me to the hospital. He said, "Don't even go home first, go now! I will them to admit you to the surgical ward. They prepped me  and the next thing I knew I was in surgery where the

A musical memory

    Let me back-up a little in order to share a reflection. When I was 12 years old my Dad bought an old wood-framed piano and enrolled me in the Bulawayo Music Academy in order to learn how to play. My cousin, Joan, had been learning since she was very young and was already an accomplished pianist who often played in the concerts in the city hall. She was a year older than I and we were good friends. I  took lessons for five years. It soon became very clear to Mrs. Munn, the owner of the academy, that I was particularly proficient in Music Theory and she started to use me to  help teach the little kids. One day there was a parade in town and as it passed the Academy we took the little kids out onto the balcony, which had a wooden railing around it,  to watch the parade pass by. When I gathered the kids together to go back to their lessons I looked back so see a little boy standing at the railings with tears streaming down his little face. I went to him to see what was the matter, "My knee is stuck in he hole and I can't get it out," he whispered. So I said, "I can fix that, just slowly straighten your leg and it will come out while I press on the rail." Of course it came out and he was smiling again. It was about the time I was getting ready to come over to go to Abilene Christian College and Mrs. Munn called me into