A full scholarship was offered by the University of Santo Tomas for all
applicants who graduated as valedictorians in high school. Pre-Med was a
breeze. Manny maintained his ninety per cent grade average and was admitted to
medical school without too much hassle and with a continued full scholarship.
He ended up in the "upper bracket", a group of thirty five medical students who
were considered the cream of the crop and who received a much advanced form of
instructions. They were the envy of the rest of the student body. A dedicated
and serious student, he spent his summer vacation working in the operating room
of the public hospitals in Butuan, learning basic surgical skills from Dr. Gene
de Jesus, head of the Department of Surgery. He wanted to be a plastic surgeon
and so he spent a good amount of time at the Anatomy Dissection Auditorium at
the top floor of the UST medical building, getting well acquainted with all the
one hundred and thirty five cadavers laid flat on the dissection tables, coming
home to the boarding house late, and reeking of formaldehyde, the other
non-medical students disliking him for bringing occasional human body parts and
studying them on the dining room table.
He graduated with honors, passed the boards, and went back to Butuan to
practice, fulfilling his promise to his parents and to the principal of his old
high school, who had, by then retired.
For more than five years he worked at the government hospitals for a salary
which was just adequate enough for his laundry expenses. But being a bachelor
made life, in some way, somewhat simple. He did not have financial obligations.
He augmented his income by working as company physician for the different
logging companies and by selling drug samples. He still lived with his parents
who had by then been eager for him to get married and move out.
He seldom socialized. Night life consisted mostly of going out nightclubbing
at the Sultan Hotel with some friends and cousins. One of his favorite pastimes
was going hunting for wild boars and wild birds in Upper Agusan, with Dave,
drug representative for Westmont Pharmaceuticals and with neighbor
dentist-anesthetist Arsenio 'Boy' Avila. He would borrow his Uncle Nicolas' 22
caliber magnum rifle and they would be gone for three or four days during long
weekends, staying in logging camps at night. Colas was only glad to return the
favor as his nephew, Manny, was his personal doctor as well as that of his
wife, Betty, and their two boys. Colas Radaza Santos was a well-to-do logger
and would offer Manny the use of his guest house up in the mountains of
Prosperidad where he had his logging operations.
Merlina never told anyone as to who was responsible for her deplorable
condition. At four months gestational age, the head maid of the logging camp
guest house was beginning to show. Her father went berserk and in a fit of
anger, told her that she was a source of shame to their entire family, that she
should have the pregnancy terminated or that she should just leave Agusan
forever. If she did not do either, he swore he would kill her because surely,
it was not the man's fault but hers for submitting herself to him, whoever he
was. "Why did you not resist, you harlot? You should have defended your honor
to the death. Who is he? I'll cut him up into a hundred pieces!" She never
told. Nobody had seen her again since the day that she had that confrontation
with her father. Some said she went to Manila, sold her baby, and became a
masseuse. Others thought that she committed suicide in the marshes deep in the
rainforest. Still, others swore that somebody did her in. No one knew for sure.
Manny left for the United States that same month that Merlina disappeared, and
that was several months before martial law was imposed by Marcos. He said he
was not happy with his professional performance. He wanted to train in Plastic
Surgery and there was no proper training program in Butuan. There were some
openings for residency in plastic surgery in MetroManila but only
proteges of major politicians could get in. At least, that was what Manny
told his parents and friends. He packed a few of his clothes, bought a one way
ticket, said goodbye to his mother and father, and left for Manila and within a
week was prowling the streets ands avenues of New York. 42nd street in
Manhattan was his favorite.
Mr. Vicente de la Verdad had his second stroke a month after Manny left,
paralyzed on the left side, never to recover, and died four months later. Manny
did not come home for the funeral. Nor did he come home when his mother died
years later.
Manny landed in New York on a bleak and dreary October morning and stayed with
some friends in Manhattan. All of his friends were at work during the day and
so he was alone almost the whole day, alone in the apartment that was not too
far from Central Park, where he spent his late afternoons people-watching. He
was impressed by the ethnic and racial diversity of the place. He amused
himself, watching the bushy tailed squirrels and naughty chipmunks, scampering
around the park, storing acorns in their favorite nooks, some climbing electric
poles, precariously balancing themselves as they crisscrossed the wires to the
next pole a block away. The rest of his time was spent studying for the
American Medical Licensure Boards, which he passed easily.
Upon receiving the results of the written examinations, he immediately applied
for a residency at the Harvard Medical School in Boston. To his pleasant
surprise, he was accepted to the Surgery Residency Program, although he
suspected he was the token minority. He was technically better than most of the
other residents because he was ambidextrous and because of his past surgical
experience so that by his third year he was made Chief Resident, an honor and
responsibility usually offered only to a fourth year resident. The previous
Chief Resident was a victim of a drowning accident at Martha's Vineyard during
a February freezing duck hunting weekend. That left the position vacant. Manny
was at the right place at the right time.
He specialized in Plastic Surgery and further sub-specialized in cosmetic and
hand surgery. Even before he finished his training, he was already offered a
teaching position at the university, given a stipend, provided an office, a
secretary, and two nurses, and allowed private practice as well.
He was on top of the world by the time he was thirty nine years old.
He was also the loneliest man in the world. He did not have close friends. He
spent most of his time in the hospital and operating rooms. Realizing that time
was passing him by he decided to do something about it. He began to
meticulously lay out the direction of the rest of his life. But first, he must
get married. But who would he marry? His female acquaintances were all doctors,
pushy and prima donnas all.
Perhaps a nurse?
Ah, yes, a nurse. Nurses have been brainwashed to do the surgeon.s bidding.
Sonia, of course, the one with the eyes. Sonia Geraci, a young scrub nurse. She
had assisted him on several reduction mammoplasties. He just could not remember
seeing her entire face as he had only seen her while she had her mask on. She
had fiery Italian eyes, though, and he remembered her deep, melodious voice,
and it was almost always a "Good morning, Doctor" or a "Yes, Doctor."
He pursued Sonia as relentlessly as he did his studies. With gifts and flowers
from someone of his reputation and position, added to his sincere charm, and
the poor girl could not help but succumb to his entreaties, not really knowing
what hit her.
Three months later, they were in Florence, Italy,
sipping Asti Spumante, on a four week extended honeymoon.
Back to Table of Contents
Next - Chapter 5
