That Box of Chocolates

small Mississippi town was sort of like Forest Gump’s box of chocolates-you never knew what you were gonna get. And then there were days when I felt as if I was a contestant on “Let’s Make A Deal” wondering what awaited me behind that next exam room door. Needless to say, I never ceased to be amazed.

Like the time I entered the exam rooms to find my elderly, always prim and proper female patient whose first words were, “Dr. Hartness, can I ask you a personal question?” “Sure,” I responded and then attempted to hide my surprise when I heard the following. “Do you think it’s okay to have sex with a friend for consolation?” I remember mumbling some sort of non-judgmental response all the while wondering just whose consolation we were talking about!

Through forty plus years I’ve opened exam room doors to be greeted with boxes of juicy homegrown tomatoes, tasty fried peach pies, one-of-a-kind hand stitched quilts, and fascinating medical memorabilia.

That particular morning, I spotted her name on my appointment schedule. The elderly African-American female had transferred to my care after her longtime family doctor (and one of my partners) had retired. On opening the door, I found her sitting there holding a bulky object wrapped loosely in brown butcher paper. After exchanging greetings, she began unwrapping what appeared to be an old wooden clock which I thought perhaps she was expecting me to buy. “You don’t understand,” she quietly interrupted and began a most remarkable tale.

Her parents had been sharecroppers on my grandfather Hartness’ farm. After my grandmother Lorraine passed away (this was before I was born), Big Daddy Hartness decided to “break up housekeeping” and come to live with our family. In the process it seems that he sold a round oak dining table and four oak chairs to her parents and, apparently for good measure, included this wooden mantle clock with this simple request: If they ever wanted to get rid of it, he would like for it to be returned to a Hartness family member.

I now knew the rest of the story and, needless to say, was touched by her thoughtfulness and generosity. She politely refused any payment, but I tried to make sure she never had to sit long in the waiting room after that! The clock, while probably of little value on Antiques Road Show, is now priceless and proudly displayed in our home, serving as a nod to my grandfather’s generosity but more strikingly to my patient’s family’s code of honor. By the way, it still keeps perfect (but loud) time!

THAT BOX OF CHOCOLATES