Your Thoughts on Teddy Bears

Just out of medical school Alex was hoping to get a good start at a new, or so he thought, hospital in his neighborhood. Turns out the add was misleading...

In one of my morning papers I found an interesting add which said a new hospital was seeking surgeons. Being freshly out of the school and looking for a respectable job, this add caught my eye. I called them right away and agreed upon a meeting date. They gave me an address and happily I finished the already cold cup of coffee.

The morning before the meeting for an interview I was up too early and too eager. But I had a lot of time to pick out an outfit, eat a healthy and filling breakfast, drink a cup of black coffee and read a book. I gathered all of the necessary documents; one never can know what kind of person will be sitting in front of you. I decided to go for a formal look, so of course I chose one of my suits. It was a dark blue suit with black stripes along the rims. I dressed up neatly, tying a bow-tie around my neck. I combed my hair and brushed my teeth. And then for luck I watered my cactus.

I left my apartment an hour before the agreed time, since the place was quite near. I briskly walked there humming a melody which was stuck inside my head for about two days. As I walked to the right street looking for the correct number, I stumbled upon a small, two-story building with a sign “Teddy Hospital”. And this was the place I was supposed to be. I liked the sign, it gave of a nice and comfortable feeling.

As I walked inside an old bespectacled lady met me at the reception desk.

“How may I help you?” the woman asked in a shaky voice.

“Hello. I'm Alex Mayer and I’m here for an interview.”

“Well, hello. Please, right this way through that door,” she pointed her bony finger to the door which signed “Director”.

“Thank you,” I bowed my head slightly and walked off.

Knocking on the door I was met by a loud and strong “Come in”.

“Good afternoon,” I greeted after walking in. “I'm here for an interview for the surgeon spot. We talked the other day,” I explained.

“Ah, yes, yes. Mayer, right?”

I nodded and sat down where he was pointing with his palm.

“So fresh out of the oven, huh?” he asked jokingly.

“Yes.”

The man, named Mr. Smith on the name-tag, called the inside line and asked for two cups of coffee.

“What do you take in yours?”

“One sugar, no milk,” I answered right away. “Thank you.”

I wondered if it was okay to actually say all this. Though, Mr. Smith seemed like a nice and humorous man so maybe he just wants me to feel more comfortable.

“So, Alex, what brings you here?”

“Well, as I said before, I just finished my degree and was looking for a job and I saw your advertisement and it interested me. I reckoned, since the hospital is new I might give it a shot.”

“Aha...” At this point the old receptionist brought the two cups of coffee and placed it on the table. Both of them had milk in it. Oh, well...

“Why our 'hospital', though?” he asked later.

“Well, since it's new I thought I might give it a shot. Furthermore, I live quite close by so it wouldn't be a problem to get here fast in case of an emergency...”

“Do you have any experience in this area?”

“Well, I had residency at one of the finest hospitals of the town. I participated in couple of operations, though just as an assistant. But yes, you might say I have experience.”

“Interesting...”

After that he asked me to show him my recommendations and other papers I had and was examining them intently. Only now I noticed the walls decorated with pictures full of plush toys, of which most were teddy bears. Strange decor for a hospital...

“Hmmm, I see... Alex, do you like children?”

“Sorry?” this caught me by surprise. “Children? Ah, yes, of course. Lovely little creatures...”

“Yes, they are very lovely. Especially when happy.”

“Ah, yes.”

Mr. Smith didn't peg me as an old man, he maybe was about forty-fifty years, but this talk about children made me believe he was older. Much older. I came to talk business and he's talking about children.

I cleared my throat and drank a bit of the coffee. The man was inspecting me with his cold stare through his glasses. The stare was making me nervous. As though I was an ant under the magnifying glass.

“What are your thoughts on teddy bears?”

The question was so random that I sputtered the coffee back into the cup and made a mess of my shirt. He passed me a napkin and I cleaned myself.

“I'm sorry about that,” I said. “Teddy bears, huh. Well, I had one when I was a child. I suppose, most of children do have one. And I was fond of it. I think I still have it somewhere in the boxes at home.”

“What was its name?” he asked with interest.

“Hmm, Mister Bear...” I say and feel my face redden.

“Adorable name, I think.”

“I wasn't very creative,” I explained.

“Okay then, let's get back to business,” he put down the cup and clapped his hands. “Will you have your own tools?”

“Tools?”

“Yes, for operations.”

“Well, I still have the starter's kit which was provided in school, but I’m not sure if those are sufficient for the job.”

“I see. So you'd rather we provide the tools?”

I nodded and finished the coffee.

“What are your working abilities?”

“Well, I can focus in any kind of situation, even if it's very dire. I was told I have nerves of steel when it comes to surgery. Also I can work in a group, if necessary. My communication skills are also good, so if the patient is still awake I would talk to them and calm them down.”

“Oh, even so?” he asked incredulous.

“Yes,” I said as I tried to figure out what made him so astounded.

It took a bit of time for him to ask the next question so I sat there all tensed up and waited. I said, I have nerves of steel, but only during operations. I get really nervous during daily life situations. I was sitting cross-legged, moving my foot continuously, my fingers were interlaced and laid on my lap, and now I was gripping them so tightly, the knuckles went white.

“Are you confident in your abilities as a 'surgeon'?” he then asked.

“Well, yes. I was one of the tree top students of my year. As I might have little practice in real situations as an independent surgeon, I might add I am confident in my abilities to execute the operation without flaws.”

He regarded me with serious gaze and then tapped his lips in thought. The door to the room opened and the old receptionist lady asked for Mister Smith.

The man left, excusing himself for a moment to take care of something. I was left on my own to revel in my wrecked nerves. I never expected to be questioned this bizarrely.

Using the opportunity, I looked around the room more closely. On the desk or the picture frames I couldn't see even a speck of dust, the floor and walls were also diligently cleaned. The things on the desk were kept to a minimum and only couple of things might have been placed there out of some unusual habit. It was strange seeing a white teddy bear sitting on the desk, near the picture frame of a girl, holding a brown teddy bear. I suppose this man really likes plush bears.

Mister Smith came back couple of minutes later and took his previous place at the desk, in front of me.

“Sorry for that,” he said. “Where were we? Ah, yes. Your ability... Well, what can I say. I see you are confident young man, and I find you very honest and hardworking. I like this kind of man.”

“Thank you.”

“Well then, when can you start working?”

“Well, if we have a deal, then I suppose from the next week. Or maybe even from tomorrow, if we manage to fix all the necessities by then,” I answered with a smile, but was a bit uneasy. This whole thing seemed a bit off.

“How about you start now? And we deal with the formalities later?”

“Now?”

“Yes. Just now we received a patient. A case of torn off ear. If you could help us, this would be great.”

I stood there wide-eyed, mouth agape and couldn't really understand what he was saying.

“You see, I would do it myself, but my eyes are not as good anymore, and my hands are not as strong as they used to be. That's why we needed a young man like you to join our little establishment.”

“Well, if it's nothing too difficult, and if you have the room ready, I suppose we should not waste much time.”

“Wonderful.”

The man showed me out the room and walked me to the second floor. On the way he explained that the operating room is already all set up and I just need to get ready on my own and start operating.

A case of torn off ear sounded badly so I couldn't just walk out on them, could I? So I followed him getting myself mentally ready to do my first independent operation on my first job.

On the second floor, in the hall there was couple of chairs for the waiting people. I saw a little girl with her mom. The girl was crying. Mister Smith opened the operating room and showed me inside.

The room was perfectly illuminated, all of its narrow space clearly visible from the entrance. What made me hold my breath was something I didn't expect to see. Instead of an operating table there was a prim wooden work desk. In place of medical tools there were placed various threads and needles. And the patient was not a person bleeding from their ear, but a medium sized black teddy bear with its ear lying beside it and a white stuffing falling out of its head.

And this is how I became a teddy bear repair technician.