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"Vasya has escaped from the X-ray!" interpreted to Nasso his attending dental student Maria, who had noticed his agitation and wiggling on the dental chair.
He often turned to see how things were going with the Roma Vasya sitting diagonally behind him in the dental practice room. He had seen Vasya, her little daughter and her attending student Sofia going out for an X-ray. The latter was a standard beginning of almost every dental treatment at the Dental Faculty of The Medical University. Then, he had heard Sophia, who had returned, excitedly announcing something to her course mates; they had reacted with exclamations of amazement and laughter. Vasya and the child were not there. The Mahlenite could not cope with her fear. and had given in to one of the impulses to escape.
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What a pity! Nasso knew that Vasya badly needed dental treatment, because she had told him her teeth really hurt. She had shown him their poor condition. The Roma in The Mahala, be they young or old, women or men, had no qualms about showing him their teeth, when he was looking for a child patient for the exam of his attending dental student Maria. Nasso wanted to do her a favour, as he was pleased with her work and attitude in the beginning. She and the other foreign dental students had more difficulties in finding children patients. They had no relatives or friends with children in Bulgaria, who could not refuse such a request. While looking for a child patient, first through advertisements, then by asking his acquaintances and Roma, Nasso realized that in this way, he could also be of help of his Mahlenite neighbours. One patient could be followed by others, so it might become a chance for more of them for affordable dental care. Vasya was only 32 years old; Nasso had also seen a 20-year-old girl who really needed dental treatment. Sofia, a course mate and friend of Nasso's attending dental student Maria, had committed to cover Vasya's travel expenses. The students welcomed patients whose teeth required a lot of and varied dental treatment. The treatment at the Faculty was at an acceptable level. This particular group consisted of fourth-year students, who were almost into the occupation. They practised under supervision. Each time, they would discuss the treatment, any questions and problems with their supervisor in the hall and with each other. Nasso listened with interest, when they discussed in English.
Nasso felt Vasya's fear and hesitation still at the station. Two minutes before the departure, she took the child and went out on the platform to smoke, although Nasso reminded her of the time. She seemed to be intentionally going as much further away as possible from the train door, and out of Nasso's sight. However, their carriage happened to be right in front of the railroad official with the dispatch baton; he invited Vasya to get on, before raising the green to the train manager. She seemed to have overcome her hesitation two more times after that. Firstly, she went and sat with other Roma in another carriage. At the arrival, she got off with those Roma and disappeared for a long time. Nasso alone hurried up to the faculty to be in time for the appointment. There, he waited for a while for Vasya and the child, periodically checking the entrance, the corridors and part of the road. Then, sitting on the dental chair, he several times asked Maria and Sofia to check the corridor. Vasya had to be approached as if she was a child in order to ensure her presence and jump over any predictable and unpredictable obstacles. At last, Sofia, with a joyful surprise, announced Vasya's arrival. Nasso caught a glimpse of Vasya, who was sitting on the dental chair and surveying the other patients with curiosity and fear. There were perhaps seven or eight patients in the room; all the dental chairs were occupied. Unfortunately, there were no other Roma among them this time. They all looked very decent, including the Englishman. And another Roma patient could have both encouraged Vasya and eased her fears. The mild-tempered six-year-old Slava was sitting on a high stool, facing her mother, and was drawing. Vasya was going to take her to the faculty every time, because there had been no one to leave her with, as she said. Nasso suspected that the child might also be a kind of insurance for a jealous husband. Nasso worried about how Slava would perceive the sights in the hall; her calm absorption in the painting made him calm down a little. However, the x-ray turned out to be the unanticipated, insurmountable obstacle…
Nasso felt pity and annoyance. He was angry that all his efforts to bring Vasya to successful dental treatment proved to be in vain. He had done his best to make the first visit of Vasia and Slava to the faculty a pleasant and even festive experience. Then, they were bringing the little Slava for a baby tooth filling, which was to be an exam for the attending dental student of Nasso. He had gone to their home in The Mahala very early in the morning. Nasso waited for them for a long time; he could not call in advance to get ready, as agreed, because Vasya had dictated to him a wrong phone number. Then, Nasso gave them a few things: a small fluffy backpack for Slava in the shape of an animal, with an opening zipper-muzzle, as well as a raincoat for Vasya. It was raining, and she had gone with only one small umbrella for both her and the child. Nasso bought them croissants, pretzel sticks and mineral water for the trip. The child played "feeding" the backpack through the zipper with salty sticks. They talked a lot the whole way. Nasso had gone only because of them; he himself had no dental appointment that day. He waited in the corridor until the students came and finally called the child inside, together with her mother. And Nasso immediately headed back home.
The second time, which was supposed to be the first dental treatment of Vasya, they had agreed to travel separately. However, she did not go. She later justified it with lack of money. The money given her by the students, covered her first train ticket, which was paid by Nasso, by the way; and included a reward to the child of 20 leva, as preliminary promised. So Vasya should have had enough money to buy a ticket the next day, and the expense would have been reimbursed immediately upon her arrival at the faculty. However, she and her husband had hurried up to spend it all. Nasso understood that this was a totally new experience for her, so making more mistakes was normal in the beginning. She should be given a chance and time for orientation, as well as to try being punctual and correct enough to bring her dental treatment to a successful conclusion.
For the last, third in a row visit of Vasya to the Dental Faculty, they had again decided to travel together. Vasya and the little Slava were waiting for Nasso at the station, although he was also early. This pleased him. Nasso again bought the return ticket for Vasya. He was the one to whom her attending student had given the ticket money in advance. However, he was going to gradually distance himself and encourage the Mahlenite to be independent.
Nasso had not forseen that Vasya would be so frightened by the X-ray machine. It hadn't even crossed his mind that she might have never been done an X-ray. He realized the difference in the life experience of each of them, even though living in the same country and actually in neighboring areas in the mountain. There were also other things which accumulated. Nasso could not talk to Vasya on the train about her experiences and expectations this time, as she had moved to another carriage. In fact, he was the first who distanced himself, while trying to encourage her independence. The student Sofia did not speak Bulgarian well enough, so she could not talk to Vasya either.
Hardly anyone in this group of foreign students would want to further engage with such a troublesome patient, and even less to pay for her travel expenses. Nasso selfishly felt a certain relief that this commitment to a child-like adult had dropped by itself. He could continue reflecting and preparing his lessons on the way to the faculty, undisturbed… Everyone had their life struggles, their own tasks and problems. Helping a fellow-man as a one-time act was the order of things; any adult was in charge of care for themselves. And someone else would certainly appear and give a hand again, if Vasya really wanted it. Nevertheless, if Nasso had tried a little harder, they might have succeeded.…
2
After the failed dental treatment of Vasya, Nasso found himself part of a scenario without a happy ending. At the very end of the academic year, he had to go, as a patient, to an exam of his attending dental student. However, he fell ill, under strange circumstances this time again. It could be a cold, as sometimes the train windows were open and it was drafty. However, more likely it was a viral disease, which could have been caused on purpose, like in a criminal plot. The symptoms were more severe and lasted longer than anything Nasso had ever experienced, especially the coughing and the chest pain. He also had a fever, fatigue, and had to stay in bed... Nasso was sure that he had caught it during his last dental treatment, and probably knew how: from the mouthwash that Maria had once brought to him. He had felt the liquid, once sprayed into his mouth, as more in quantity, as well as fizzy and hot. Nasso started coughing almost immediately, and since the irritation continued, he had to frequently interrupt the manipulations to cough. After coming back home, the symptoms kept getting worse; he felt sicker every day... And the exam was about a week after his last dental treatment. Nasso self-isolated in the villa. He messaged his attending dental student and asked about the injected liquid, in order to know what should be done next. To his surprise her answer was "Water". He wrote about his health condition and that she had to find another patient. However, two days before the exam, Maria messaged him to insist on his presence; she could not find another patient, so that would fail her exam. She also offered Nasso 200 leva to go to the exam. He certainly refused. It was not about money, but about health. Moreover, if he had not self-isolated, they would isolate him anyway. They would either stop him at the entrance of the faculty, as there was a person checking for signs of corona, or would kick him out during the exam because of his severe cough, fever and the onset of secretions. Would they let him come back to his villa? Nasso had to care for his pets too; that was one of his main reasons to stay in the villa...
If the sprayed liquid and his sickness were connected, behind that were most likely The Influential. Nasso was not sure about the direct perpetrator, who might have prepared the liquid or put something into the water. Maria carried it from a special glass partition in one of the back corners of the room, where the staff stayed. There were a few people, probably in charge of the medical equipment and all dentistry materials. Nasso could not exclude any hypothesis.
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