Title

On my way to work, I met F. He was my roommate during my final year of medical studies. When I told him my present title, he exclaimed, “You hold such a high position now!”

I was so embarrassed. Then I decided to tell him something else. “In some restaurants, waiters are waiters; captains are captains. In other restaurants, all waiters are called captains, if not managers.”

The most impressive remark on my title, however, came from my younger colleague.

After the morning round one day, our house officer asked me to write a reference letter for her. “My pleasure,” I said, “but why don’t you ask someone higher up? My recommendation is unlikely to be of much help.”

“You may be short, but your position is high,” she did not even hesitate.