F

During a casual dinner conversation with Vivian, she commented, "It's not always impossible to bring up a child properly in a rich family - look at MF !"

I know MF - a famous private surgeon with excellent reputation. Everyone who knows him becomes fond of him.

And he comes from that renown billionaire's family. Well, he doesn't have to. As a doctor, he is as good as any.

I decided to change the topic, "Unfortunately he could not alter the tragic death of his father, F."

"That always puzzles me," my wife agreed, "MF should have kept his father around and gave F some good days before he finally died."

"I believe MF did want to," I said, "You know, F was such an important person north to the Shenzhen River. When that blood cancer was diagnosed, he just wished to went for a second opinion - or some symptom relief by acupuncture or massage, whatever that was. But, once he was in the hospital, people up there thought that he was such a figure that he should have the most aggressive treatment, and, therefore he was not allowed to get out of the hospital, not to say going back Hong Kong."

"Alas, that's followed by vigorous treatment by cancer drugs, parenteral nutrition, antibiotics, intubation, resuscitation, and every imaginable or unimaginable agony!" Vivian finished the story for me.

"Quite right," I smiled, "I used to believe they would only detain and torture political prisoners. From this story of F, it seems that they do the same for their country leaders. We couldn't really say our fighters of democracy are being ill-treated !"