I’d rather continue calling you a friend, Hlaing! (Part -III) (သူငယ်ချင်း လို့ဘဲ ဆက်ရျ်ခေါ်မည် လှိုင် အပိုင်း -၃)

PART- III 3 January 2010: Conference Room @ Dolphin Restaurant, Yangon:

As usual, Nyi Naing got tied up with a sick patient at the last minute and arrived late for the Saya Gadaw Pwe (Homage paying ceremony to former teachers). It was the class reunion and Saya Gadaw Pwe of his batch, 1988, IM-1. Twenty years after completion of internship, they were meeting for the first time again. The teachers were seated on the stage and the (former) students were sitting on the carpeted floor. Maung Maung Lay who was acting as the MC had just finished his opening speech and came to sit next to Nyi Naing.

“What made you late Saya Nyi? The liver transplant patient again? Someone was looking for you all over earlier.”

“Yes, even the fools are right sometimes. It was indeed the liver transplant patient whose bilirubin level bumped up this morning. Anyway, who was looking for me?”

Maung Maung Lay didn’t answer but gave a wicked look at Nyi Naing and lightly pointed his finger to the opposite direction. There sitting was a lady in blue dress and though it was close to fifty feet away, Nyi Naing wasn’t going to be mistaken. This is someone whose image is forever imprinted in his mind.

“Hlaing? From America? I didn’t realize she was attending the reunion”.

Maung Maung Lay said: “Me neither. It was a last-minute development. When she e mailed me two weeks ago, I was very surprised too. I didn’t know how she got my email address, perhaps from my magazine’s web page. But she requested me not to tell you. And she asked if you have a family now. What’s going on?”

“Nothing. We all are responsible adults and she is a married woman. I told you that I met her family in England a few years ago”.

Maung Maung Lay didn’t reply. As the MC, his next task was to briefly introduce each classmate to the audience. It was necessary since most looked completely different from how they looked during the student days. Without an introduction, most wouldn’t recognize one another. Not everyone was practicing medicine either. Maung Maung Lay himself had become a successful businessman in the field of publishing. His media empire includes publishing a few journals, a newspaper and running a popular media webpage in Myanmar.

Nyi Naing had become an associate professor of Surgery at YGH. A few years ago, he and Sayagyi Winston Hla successfully established the first liver transplant program in Myanmar and had just transplanted the third patient two weeks ago. This had been all over the news. The country’s Secretary (1) made a visit to hospital in cheering up the patient and to congratulate the transplant team. Minister of Health called Nyi Naing twice a week to get a progress report on the patient which he had to relay to the Secretary (1). They were given an open budget for the transplant program. Such a program is considered to be the only bright spot in an otherwise impoverished country and the government had used it to the hilt as a propaganda tool in uplifting the prestige of the nation. It was a team effort and was a long arduous preparation though. Nyi Naing and Sayagyi Winston Hla practiced the surgical technique on numerous pigs before they attempted on the humans. Nyi Naing was sent for extensive overseas training just for this project. He was at the famed liver transplant unit of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Hong Kong for eight months and another four months in Australia. They couldn’t afford any margin of error. Had the first patient died, the ministry was to shut down the program. Luckily all their hard work and efforts paid off. All three patients so far had been doing very well. It was the show case project of the nation and Nyi Naing’s name had been mentioned weekly in the news. Sayagyi Winston Hla had just retired and Nyi Naing had been tipped to be promoted to the post of full professor in further expanding the liver transplant program with a view to train the next generation of Myanmar surgeons. His star was rising fast.

Nyi Naing’s train of thoughts was suddenly interrupted as the name Hlaing Myat Thu was announced by the MC Maung Maung Lay. It turned out that Hlaing was an interventional cardiologist in Virginia these days. Saya Gadaw Pwe was followed by the get together luncheon. Most ignored food. Everybody was so excited and busy, moving, jostling, hugging, joking and trying to catch up the past twenty years, especially for the classmates who were visiting from overseas. Nyi Naing made an effort to go greet Hlaing who was surrounded by so many classmates. They didn’t get much private time to chat. Turned out she was flying to Pagan that night but returning to Yangon in three days’ time. She was staying at the Traders Hotel instead of her parents’ home. Makes sense if one’s spouse is a foreigner Nyi Naing thought. They exchanged cell phone numbers and Nyi Naing again had to leave the function early. This time it was an urgent call from the OR where his assistant needed help in operating a trauma patient who had a severe laceration of liver and bleeding to death. Being remained single with no regards for making money in the private sector, he was available for the hospital on a 24/7 basis which was very unusual for professors. But surgery was his life. That’s why he was so adored and respected by his peers and the trainees. He had been voted the best teacher by the house officers for three years in a row. Very few knew that he was engaged once but he broke off the engagement when he realized that he couldn’t truly commit to his fiancé when someone had already occupied his heart permanently with no rooms left. It was a mess.

7 January 2010: @ Dining Room, Traders (Shangri-La) Hotel, Yangon.

It started out with a text message in the morning. At first Nyi Naing couldn’t recognize the sender. But the subsequent text cleared thing up. It was from Hlaing who was back in Yangon following her Pagan trip. She wanted him to meet up for dinner at the hotel and had also asked to free up at least 2-3 hours out of his schedule so that they could chat and catch up. She said it was the only time she could see him since she was to fly back to America the next morning. Luckily it wasn’t Nyi Naing’s OR day. After shuffling his schedule at the last minute, Nyi Naing texted back an affirmative. A smiley face icon came back instantly.

Again, the dinner conversation was full of surprises. Nyi Naing learnt that May is in high school now and Hlaing is divorced from Robert. She didn’t delve much into details about her divorce but mentioned that she had no regret for the decision. On her iPhone, she showed Nyi Naing the pictures of May and she from their globe-trotting trips. It seemed both were adapting quite well to the single parent family life. Nyi Naing was pleased to learn that May liked Burmese cuisine. He remarked that Hlaing should have brought May during this visit to Myanmar. It was then Hlaing dropped another bombshell.

“That is exactly what I was thinking Naing. I was thinking of returning to Myanmar with May for good but wanted to come check out first before I pull the plug and later regret. I am concerned I may disappoint her. That was one of the main purposes of this last-minute trip to Myanmar.”

Nyi Naing’s jaw dropped. “You are thinking to come back? I mean, not that I don’t want you to. In fact, I’ll be the happiest person to see that happens, but I thought it won’t be very realistic. It will be very hard for both of you but especially for May to adapt.”

Hlaing continued. “I am glad to learn that you want to see me coming back Naing. Yes, it seems daunting. But the timing seemed right. As you can see, apart from May, I don’t have any attachment anymore in west. I am not seeing anybody steady after my divorce. And recently I was hearing a lot of good things about Myanmar’s transformation. DASSK is released from the house arrest. Multinational companies are thinking to come back for a second round of investments. With such an environment, I was thinking that I might be able to practice cardiology here in the private sector. Moreover, I feel a moral obligation to some of the people that I deserted abruptly two decades ago.”

Nyi Naing dared not ask whom she was referring to when she mentioned desertion since her elderly parents were still alive. But he asked the following.

“And what do you make of it now that you had been here for a week.”

Hlaing gave a disappointing look. “I am sad to say that it is not going to work out. You are right, it is not realistic. I had high hopes before this trip but it may have been because I was dreaming from afar and never returned to Myanmar in the past twenty years in learning the real situation on the ground. After being here for a week, I came to the conclusion that the timing is not right yet. There still is a big culture gap. The outlooks on life are so different. Let alone May, even I am not sure I can adapt. The promised transformation in the political climate doesn’t seem genuine or deep enough, at least for now. And I don’t think my private cardiology practice without any local connection will flourish. There is no meritocracy or open competition here. Everything depends on personal connections and whom you know in the hierarchy. And if I have to practice medicine the way it is in the current day Myanmar, my conscience won’t allow me to sleep well at night.”

Nyi Naing chuckled. “Well, you gave me high hopes at least for the past thirty seconds.”

Hlaing returned a mischievous smile. She finished up her glass of wine and said. “I don’t want to dash your hopes. I think I might have an alternative. But for now it is still a top secret on a need-to-know basis. So, shall we continue the conversation in my room? I don’t want other people in the dining room eavesdropping on my secret project”.

7 January 2010, @ Room number 858, Traders (Shangri-La) Hotel:

Nyi Naing didn’t know if it was Hlaing talking or the wine talking. To be honest, both of them were a little tipsy after finishing a bottle of the local wine, Ayetharyar, which was the product of a vineyard near Taunggyi. And that was how Nyi Naing had ended up in Hlaing’s hotel room. Hlaing stepped out from the bathroom after freshening herself up. She changed her evening gown too. She was in a lose cotton pants and a pink T-shirt. In those, she looked much younger than forty-five. Perhaps the temperate climate in west had been kind on her skin. And the daily Zumba at the gym seemed to have maintained her toned shape. She sat down on the sofa and gestured Nyi Naing to come sit next to her. When he did, she rested her head on his shoulder with eyes closed. Her flowing hair with a sweet citrus fragrance from the recent shampoo came to lie on his chest. Then she started talking.

“I actually stopped by at Singapore for three days on my way to Yangon. I liked what I saw. May should be able to adapt in Singapore too. A good friend of mine who was a co-fellow during our fellowship training is now a well-respected cardiologist there and he was more than happy to find me a job should I desire. He thinks with my training from UK and USA and with his connections, he can find me a job within one week. His wife was a good friend of mine too when they were in America. Since I had not checked Myanmar out at that time, I gave him no promises. But now with what I had seen in Myanmar, I think the best option would be to move to Singapore instead. But on one condition.”

“What is that?”

Hlaing lifted her head up from Nyi Naing’s shoulder and turned around facing him. Then she spoke softly, “Will you move to Singapore with me then? You have served in Burma selflessly for the past twenty years and that should be enough. You should not feel guilty about leaving the country now. Someone with your caliber should have no trouble finding a job in Singapore. And even if you can’t find one right away, we’ll have my income”.

“But Hlaing, but”

She silenced him with a finger over her lips. “It’s alright. You don’t need to answer this to me now. For tonight I have some other ideas.”

With that she leaned over and started kissing him on the lips. Nyi Naing’s mind was foggy. He was in a trance state both from the unexpected question of Hlaing and the stirring passion rising inside his body. How long has he waited for this moment? Perhaps too long.  They both were free and consenting adults. So, what did he have to care? He started returning her kisses in earnest. She held him back tight. His hands ran down her back under the T-shit. After a few minutes, Nyi Naing stood up. He walked across the room to close the window blinds. Then he turned off the ceiling lights leaving only the faint night light to glow. As he turned around, Hlaing was standing up.  In this half-lit darkness, her naked silhouette was like a master piece sculpture of a Greek goddess from the Louvre Museum. Mesmerized, Nyi Naing lifted her up and gently laid her down on the bed. He started kissing her lips to toes. With each kiss she shivered. The room became full of labored and frenzied breathings. It seemed like an eternity but finally they let out a moan together and collapsed on to one another.

8 January, 2010 @ Departure Lounge, Mingaladon airport.

Hlaing was fidgety. In fifteen minutes, her flight would be boarding. She clutched her iPhone tightly checking every minute for this “ping” that announces an incoming message. Nyi Naing was called back to hospital at 3AM by his assistant for a patient who required an emergency esophageal transection from uncontrolled variceal bleeding. Supposedly it would be a four-hour procedure and Hlaing’s flight being at 8 AM, Nyi Naing had told her ahead that he would not be able to send her off to the airport. But he promised to call or at least send a text. As he was dressing to leave the hotel room, he also mentioned that the Professor whom he went to get liver transplant training in Hong Kong had taken up a department chair position at Singapore General Hospital and he was in touch with him to present a paper on the Myanmar Liver Transplant Program’s experience. The professor was so impressed by the initial abstract and the outcome data that he told Nyi Naing about his willingness to take him in anytime should Nyi Naing wanted to come work with him in Singapore. Sounded very encouraging. Finally, and for the first time in the past twenty-five years, may be the two lovers can be together. Or are they?

Then she noticed the unmistakable ping. There it is. Even without checking the screen, Hlaing could tell how the text would be phrased. It would be either

“Tha Nge Chin Htet Ma Ka Lo Khor Chin Bi Hlaing” (i.e., I’d rather be more than friends Hlaing).

Or “Tha Nge Chin Lo Bei Set Yway Khor Chin Thi Hlaing” (i.e., I’d rather continue calling you a friend Hlaing).

She closed her eyes momentarily. She didn’t know whether she had the courage to read the message now. Should she wait till she lands in America or should she just delete it? Or ……