I wasn’t always like this.

These were Morgan’s thoughts while he stared at his reflection in the mirror on the bathroom wall. The twinkle in his eye that he once held onto throughout his childhood and adolescence was nowhere to be found. If he had to be honest with himself, it had been gone long before today but he continued to look for it, everyday, in the hope that it would someday return to him. The hollow feeling seemed to grow in power, daily, consuming every ounce of life and energy from his body.

Morgan tried everything possible to fill this gaping hole in his soul: alcohol, food, organized religion, gambling and searching for love. All he had to show for it was a mild gambling addiction, a raging alcohol addiction, heartache and an account balance that was distressingly painful to look at. Ending it all seemed like the only possible escape from it and his training in the medical field had given him quite a list of methods he could employ to achieve his goal. Some were so painless that he would not feel a thing, yet he could not bring himself to do it. The smouldering embers of hope that yet resided in him made sure of that. As he continued to contemplate his life or more precisely what was left of it, his phone buzzed. It was a message from the consultant doctor at the hospital where he worked as a resident. After a few keystrokes and hitting the send button, he returned to staring at his reflection.

Happy face, happy face.

One of the few pleasures he got in life now was saving lives. The act of playing god did not appeal to him but the smiles and comments that he received for a job well done were far more gratifying. Five minutes later and he was ready to go. After locking the door behind him and double checking, he took a deep breath in.

It’s time to face another day.

Morgan Drake was not ready for today

Maddison Silva was not your typical accountant. Her insatiable appetite for success had led her to be the youngest senior accountant at the Braccio Accounting Firm, the biggest accounting firm in the region. An intense desire to live life to the maximum led her to early morning workouts two to three times a week at the local gym down, dieting, attending church every Saturday, self-defence classes and reading many self help books on how to get the best out of life. The result of all this was a toned five foot eight inch frame, staunch religious belief and a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. While most of her friends and colleagues were either in long term relationships or married, she had no desire for such companionship. A traumatic and abusive past relationship quickly saw the end to that dream, at least for the foreseeable future. Life was good, really good and she had no desire to fix what was not broken. Besides, very few men were willing to tangle with a strong-willed and independent woman capable of kicking their asses.

She finished her morning run and headed towards the shower, glancing at the clock hanging on her bedroom wall. It was half past six in the morning, meaning she had two and a half hours before she was expected to be in the office. Maddison preferred to be in the office earlier than that because she was determined to outwork every single one of her colleagues, especially the men. This was not the equity and equality that true feminists had been advocating for but it was the reality of life. Men statistically earned more than women, despite doing the same job. Although Maddison did not consider herself to a feminist, she did agree with on this matter and a few others. Initially the whole idea of having to work twice as hard as any man to get the same amount of recognition and money bothered her immensely until it became something she relished. There were many things you could say about her but slacker was not one of them.

I’ll seize this day like I have done every other day before it.

Maddison dumped her sweat-stained running gear in the laundry basket and strode into the shower. She was feeling really good today, probably due the endorphins in her brain and the adrenaline coursing through her veins.

I hope it this feeling never ends.

Sangela City Regional Hospital was located on the outskirts of the city, precisely ten kilometres due west. Sitting on three hectares of land, it was the fifth largest hospital in the country and the largest in the southwest region. Founded in the early nineteen nineties by a group of local businessmen trying to make inroads into a growing private healthcare system, the hospital had steadily grown over the last two decades. Apart from an increase in the bed spaces from three hundred to just over two thousand, there were also a variety of specialist services included and thus it was one of the foremost medical centres in the country.

Morgan arrived thirty minutes past seven in the morning, wondering what he had done to warrant being summoned to his boss’s office. His mind had been combing over all the possible reasons but nothing stood out in particular. Five minutes later he was seated across from the man, trying his best to look unbothered. Doctor Steven Shay was a tall, slender man with thinning grey hair and thick rimmed round glasses that barely hid a pair of piercing blue eyes. He wore a navy-blue two-piece suit, a white shirt and a blue necktie. At the age of sixty-two, the man’s face looked weary from the many battles he had faced in his thirty-plus years of practice.

“Good morning Dr Shay I-” said Morgan before a raised hand cut him off.

“Morgan, I’m sure you are wondering why I called you into my office, this early in the morning,” he continued, “There will be a three day conference, out of town, discussing prospective new strategies in the diagnosis of lung cancer that could help curb not only its morbidity but also its mortality rates.”

Morgan nodded, understanding its importance but also hoping it would help the old man get to the point sooner rather than later.

“With that said, I expect that you will be in attendance this time around.”

Morgan squirmed a little in his seat upon hearing those words. He had many reasons for not attending them, chief of which was the depression he was currently battling against. Morgan always limited the amount of time he spent interacting with people because he found it mentally taxing. He was an introvert by nature, preferring his own company to that of other people.

After composing himself, Morgan replied, “With all due respect sir, I will not be attending the conference. I was made to believe that attendance of these events is optional. Undoubtedly, I will be up to date with any and all information from the conference once it has been released in this month’s medical journal. This approach has not proven to be a problem before, sir.”

A smile crept across the old man’s face, a mixture of amusement and astonishment. The facts that were laid before him were indeed true but not enough to sway his decision. With his mind already made up, Dr Shay straightened his tie, made a steeple with his hands and cleared his throat.

“Indeed, you made a valid point. However, my earlier statement still stands. A change of scenery will do you a lot of good. A very generous allowance will be provided and if the rumours are anything to go by, you really could use the money.”

Morgan Drake’s features remained inscrutable despite the fact that he was furious at what he had heard. What he did in HIS personal time with HIS money was his business and his alone. He quickly rose from his seat, thanked the doctor and stormed right out the door. The rest of his morning was spent doing a major ward round with the other resident and the attending doctors. Patients as well as their files were reviewed to see whether they made any particular progress in their treatment. While some patients were discharged, others had their treatment plans altered as the current ones gave the doctors unsatisfactory results. All in all, it took three hours to finish the major ward round in both the male and female wards covered by the unit.

As noon approached, Morgan’s phone vibrated. When he saw who the message was from, he could not help but smile. The text was short and to the point: Payaso, meet me at Pop’s diner for lunch in thirty minutes. BTW you’re paying.

Of course, the only word he knows in Spanish is clown.