Everyday Heroes - Oticon

leagues react? When Eve fi nally came home and crept gently into
their bed he had lost all track of time. Despite being exhausted he
had had no sleep at all.
The next morning he could not help feeling irritated that Eve had
enjoyed a pleasant evening and that none of the other guests had
particularly missed his company. Eve had sent him their regards,
but that was all. Now she was sitting in the sofa, chatting to a friend
on the phone. The conversation seemed to last forever, even though
they had just spent the evening together. But his hobby room no
longer seemed an appealing alternative.
Mr Singh went to work early the next morning. He had spent all
Sunday thinking about Juliette and the hearing aid she had mentioned.
He had been keeping an eye out for her arrival, and as soon
as she turned up at the reception desk he drew her to one side. Her
manner was reserved, which was understandable considering the
outcome of their previous meeting, he thought. He swallowed his
pride and sent her a warm, apologetic smile.
‘You mentioned something about a hearing aid.’
‘Yes I did.’
‘Well, I was wondering whether you’d mind telling me a bit more
about it?’ he asked.
Juliette explained that her boyfriend, a former musician, had suffered
ear damage and that his hearing aids had virtually given him
a new lease on life. ‘They’ve given me a new lease on life too,’ she
said. ‘We can actually talk on the mobile now, for the fi rst time in
three years.’
Back in the privacy of his offi ce, Mr Singh called his doctor for
an appointment. He explained to the secretary that both his career
and his marriage were in jeopardy. He knew this sounded melodramatic,
but it was how he felt. The doctor, a man his own age, offered
him an appointment that afternoon.
‘I can’t see anything abnormal, so I think I’ll refer you to a hearing
specialist,’ said the doctor after examining his ears.
Mr Singh called the clinic he had recommended and made an
appointment for two days later. When he arrived he felt nervous,
but the hearing specialist, a mature woman, seemed friendly and
welcoming. She performed various hearing tests and when they
were over, Mr Singh blurted out in a worried tone, ‘I don’t want
any of those ugly, old-fashioned things that look really clumsy.’
The specialist assured him that the kind of hearing aids Mr Singh’s
12