Revelation

I had a delightful new patient today. He is an 80 year old man, frail, but completely in possession of all his wits and needing only refills on his regular meds. His wife was with him, and they were just charming. It was noted in his chart that he was allergic to morphine. I asked him what happened when he was given morphine. he and his sweet wife both started laughing. It was clear there was a story there, and because the old gentleman was rather short of breath, his wife shared it with me. It is relevant that this is a white couple, and that the following story contains a word I normally wouldn't consider using.

Mr. White had suffered a heart attack several years earlier. He was admitted to the hospital and placed in ICU, and things were touch and go. He had a great deal of pain, for which they gave him morphine, a normal thing to do for cardiac pain. His wife was at his bedside, and he was pretty much out of it. She sat there worrying that he was going to die.

Suddenly he came wide awake and grabbed her hand. He looked right at her, and seemed to be really with it. He said to her, "Darling, you know, we've been married 45 years, and there is something I never told you. I didn't mean to keep a secret from you, but I've kept this from you all this time, but I have to tell you now."

With understandable fear and trepidation, she asked him, "What is it? What haven't you told me?"

''I'm a nigger," was his response.


He doesn't remember it. He has no idea why he said it. It was really fun to hear them recount the story, and laugh over it. And take pleasure in the many more years they've had together since then.