"Salamu aleykom… Good morning, Mr Felzein," Rosa greeted, her voice warm and inviting.
Felzein, engrossed in perusing the shelves, turned with a mild start at the sound.
"Oh, Ocha. Aleykom assalam. Morning shift, then?" he replied, a faint smile playing behind his black mask.
"Yes. What are you after, sir?" Rosa inquired, stepping forward with ease.
"Just something mild, Sanmol, Paramex, or Bodrex will do," Felzein answered with casual ease.
Rosa nodded promptly, "Right, I'll get those ready for you. Just a moment," she said, swiftly gathering the medicines.
Felzein gave a brief nod, but his mind wandered back to the previous evening, when he had seen Rosa safely home, and inadvertently stirred quite a commotion with the unveiling of his face.
From her vantage behind the cashier's desk, Melati watched Rosa's eyes light up as she glanced at Felzein.
At once, Melati's thoughts drifted to Rosa's WhatsApp status from the night before, "I met an angel tonight."
"Could this masked stranger truly be the angel Rosa had spoken of?"
"After three long years, here at last was his name. And yet… had Rosa perhaps already glimpsed his face?"
"If Ocha went as far as to post that… then it must mean something more," Melati whispered to herself, curiosity tightening its grip.
Melati's thoughts were abruptly scattered as the glass door to the pharmacy was flung open with a jarring crash.
A woman, middle-aged, sharp-featured, and evidently displeased, marched in, her heels clicking furiously against the tiled floor.
The sound startled everyone present. Rosa glanced up in alarm, Felzein paused mid-motion by the shelf, and Melati instinctively straightened in her chair.
"Excuse me, miss!" the woman barked, her voice sharp and uncompromising as she strode purposefully towards the counter. "I've got a complaint!"
Melati, startled but composed, rose to her feet.
She adjusted the edge of her face mask delicately, ensuring that the bruise on her cheek remained hidden beneath its fabric.
With the poise of someone well-versed in diplomacy, she offered a gentle, practiced smile.
"I do apologise, Ma'am. What appears to be the trouble?"
The woman rifled through her handbag with theatrical exasperation, producing a box of medicine, which she deposited on the counter with an audible thud.
"This! I was told it would ease my itching quickly, mind you! And now? It's worse. Considerably worse!"
Melati glanced at the box, Incidal. She studied the packaging briefly, her expression one of thoughtful calm, betraying no judgement.
"I see," she said softly. "May I ask when you purchased this, Ma'am? And have you been taking it as per the recommended dosage and instructions?"
Her voice was calm, measured, a soothing balm against the storm of the woman's indignation.
The woman's brows drew together in a stormy scowl as she folded her arms tightly across her chest.
Her voice, shrill with indignation, cut through the stillness of the pharmacy.
"My daughter bought this two days ago from this very place!" she declared, jabbing a finger towards the counter.
"She told me it was for allergies. So I took two tablets at once, thinking I'd get better quicker, but what happened? The itching got worse!"
Melati inclined her head slightly, her tone calm and measured despite the rising tension.
"I see, Ma'am. Incidal is indeed prescribed for allergies and itchiness, it's an antihistamine. But like all medication, it must be taken according to the correct dosage."
She gently turned the box over, checking the label as she spoke, "Typically, the recommended dose is one tablet, twice daily. If taken in excess, it can lead to side effects, dry mouth, dizziness, or, in some rare instances, a temporary increase in skin sensitivity before it begins to ease the symptoms."
"Sounds like a convenient excuse to me!" the woman snapped, voice rising, arms still folded like a fortress of scepticism.
Melati offered her a small, composed smile, one that belied the fatigue behind her eyes, "I assure you, Ma'am, I'm not offering excuses, only an explanation of how the drug operates. And if the itch isn't caused by an allergic reaction, then Incidal might not be the most suitable remedy."
The woman let out an exasperated huff, her tone sharpening like the crack of a whip.
"All I know is, this itching needs to stop. Now!"
Her voice quivered with a blend of impatience and discomfort, the kind born not only from physical irritation but the gnawing helplessness that often accompanies it.
Her foot tapped restlessly against the tiled floor, as if demanding resolution with every beat.
Melati, standing poised and calm behind the counter, offered a soft nod, gentle, unyielding.
"I understand, Ma'am. Truly. There is nothing more maddening than discomfort without relief. But if we are to help you properly, we must first be certain of the cause. Not every itch yields to the same cure."
The woman's eyes narrowed, torn between indignation and the reluctant sense that she was, perhaps, not entirely in the right.
After a protracted and rather tempestuous exchange regarding the efficacy of Incidal, the woman drew herself up with the certainty of one delivering a final, irrefutable verdict.
Folding her arms tightly across her chest, she fixed Melati and Rosa with a look of wounded indignation.
"If this medicine truly treats allergies," she declared, her tone arch with sarcasm, "then why in heaven's name did my itching worsen after taking it? That must mean it isn't an allergy at all, doesn't it? So what, were you lying when you said this was meant for allergic reactions?"
Her words, flung with dramatic conviction, hung heavily in the air like a gavel struck too hastily.
Melati and Rosa exchanged a glance, one of quiet exasperation.
The woman's logic was as flawed as it was fervent.
Incidal was, of course, an antihistamine, quite effective when the cause of discomfort was indeed an allergic reaction.
But if the root of the itching lay elsewhere, be it fungal, dermatological, or otherwise, it was no surprise that the tablets had not performed the miracle she demanded.
But there was the rub, how does one reason with someone who has already declared war on reason?