Even if she told him, a child might not understand.
"Have your parents ever taken you to see a doctor?"
The old man looked at the child.
"Has a doctor ever told you anything?"
The more confused she felt, the more uneasy she became.
The child tensed up, at a loss.
"D-doctor?"
She felt as though she understood the old man's question.
And yet, as though she didn't.
She wasn't sure how to answer.
She was also worried that the old man would get angry if she stayed silent.
She tried to piece together her words and stammered, "My parents... took me to see a doctor..."
"I... caught a cold..."
"My parents took me to get an IV."
"The doctor told me to drink more water..."
"No!"
The old man interrupted her.
"Not that..."
"Have your parents ever..."
"taken you to see a doctor when you weren't sick?"
The child tilted her head.
When she wasn't sick...
"...If I'm not sick... why would I go to the hospital?"
The child didn't really like hospitals.
Even though all the uncles and aunts, older brothers and sisters there were very nice.
But...
She hated the smell of hospitals.
And she hated being sick.
If she could, she wouldn't go to the hospital.
"Oh."
The child thought of something.
The old man perked up.
"I once twisted my ankle..."
At the memory of twisting her ankle, the child's little face scrunched up.
"My parents took me to the hospital..."
The old man: ...
He shook his head slightly.
He sighed inwardly.
This child was lucky.
It seemed her parents had protected her well.
After getting several answers that had nothing to do with his questions, the old man didn't want to ask anymore.
When all was