Twilight, twilight

Îëüãà Âÿðñè
TWILIGHT, TWILIGHT.

Twilight is a time of the day, when everything is possible. “If you let it happens”, according to Mary Poppins. It’s time, when sky look ominous and forest – enchanted.
 I was happy, that I made it to a parking lot before it got too dark. Loading bicycle to my car, I heard man’s voice behind me:
- Did you take an upper trail, or lower one?
I looked over my shoulder. I recognized that man, standing by black Corvette convertible.  I passed him by on my way to trailhead.
- Lower one, people were horseback riding on the upper.
He nodded and asked again:
- Are you from this area? I think, I saw you here before.
- - I remember you too, I splashed mud on you in the spring. By accident. No, I am not from around here, just coming to ride my bicycle once in a while.
He was short, slim build, with a white hair. Nice haircut. He reminded me well-groomed toy poodle by his appearance. But his eyes… Even though it was getting dark, I could see the smarts in his eyes.
- Are you a doctor? – I asked.
- How did you know? I do not wear my badge outside.
- Your face. It disfigured by intelligence. And your hands.
- Disfigured by intelligence? That how you see it? I like the way you said it!
I detected spark of interest in his voice.
- Would you like to have a bite somewhere? Are you hungry?
- Sorry, I have to hit back, to take care of my 11 mastiffs.
I do not have 11 mastiffs anymore, but it was a good way to get out of the situation, instead of saying blunt “no”. Usually it always worked, and cooled off man pretty fast.  This time too. I heard disappointment in man’s voice:
- Too bad… I could use a company this evening. I lost patient after 11 hours of surgery. I barely talked him into doing it. He agreed, under one condition, that I will perform the surgery, and no one else. Everything went well, he came out from anesthesia and opened eyes.
But, almost immediately crashed again. And it was after we already put his “Do not resuscitate” bracelet back, as he previously insisted.
In complete silence he added:
- He was my father.