Iliescu’s Pajamas

More accustomed to be surrounded by political figures of days-past as Balcescu, Ceausescu, Titulescu or Stephen the Great, [former president] Ion Iliescu suddenly found himself surrounded by doctors. Angry on the party he founded [the Social Democrat Party, in opposition] for turning its back on him, Iliescu felt the rug being pulled from under his feet, and his heart refused to pump as it did when he was 25 or 50.

As always, when Iliescu had a health problem, the media jumped on the story, eager to monitor each and every medical procedure, down to the dots or stripes on the former president’s pajamas.
The media eager for such newsworthy items like the print on Iliescu’s pajamas were happy with any sound bite. As information from hospital quarters was unavailable, the media converged on Iliescu’s party colleagues: did they visit him in hospital? Ok, visits were not allowed, but if they were, would they visit him? What would they fetch the former country and party president? Plum syrup, anyone?

The media were not slowed down by the fact that Iliescu said he will receive no visits while in hospital. So, what did the members of the Social Democrat Party do? Did they visit Iliescu in hospital or not?
This time, in the background of the television shot of a reporter doing his stand-up, Iliescu got out of the Emergency Hospital he had heart surgery in, to move into Elias Hospital, for recuperation.
His smiling face seemed to say history goes on, and no one could fathom that maybe he cried face down in his pillow on the night the SDP Congress did not reelect him as its president, as he expected it to.