My father-in-law was discharged from the hospital last Friday. After being back home for a weekend, he was readmitted at UZ Leuven yesterday because of serious stomach infection.

This morning, D’s mother came by to pick us up, so that we may accompany her to the hospital.

At the hospital room, I was glad to see my father-in-law eating some of his lunch and keeping it in. The warm food and the cleaning up afterwards did wonders. A bit of colour and humour returned to his face during our visit.

Have I ever mentioned that I am afraid of hospitals? As a child, I was often left in the car along with a relative or one of the siblings, when my parents had to stop by the hospital. Consequently, I can only remember a handful of hospital visits in the almost 30 years I have lived in Malaysia. Oh the smell of disinfectants, the expressions on people’s faces, the thought of a place filled with injured, sick or suffering people used to give me dizzy spells. Whatever it was, I do not have it any more. The benefit of age and wisdom?

Never before had I spent so much time in hospitals. I must have seen and spent more time at Belgian hospitals than I ever had in all the years I have lived in the US and Malaysia combined. You may call me lucky, I guess. And I shall willingly share this good luck with the father-in-law. May he get some good news, have a speedy recovery, and come home soon.