SoS – When you need to (a conversation with a girl in a medical store)

A couple of days back, I went to the doctor as I was not feeling well. He suggested that I get admitted for a week, but due to the tremendous workload, I asked him for medicines. He prescribed medicines for 5 days, and when I went to the drugstore for the medicines, quite an intriguing incident took place.

There was a girl at the counter who provided me with the prescribed medicines and wrote some codewords regarding how I am to take the medicines. But on one of the packets, she inscribed  “SoS”. Outrightly nonplussed, I asked her what exactly did SoS stand for in there. She thought for a while and casually replied, “When needed”. As far as my knowledge of SoS went, I knew that it was a signal of danger and so, I tried to make her understand that. But she nonchalantly said that though she wasn’t aware of the full form, she was pretty sure I needed to take the medicine when in pain. Her reply left me curious, so I after reached home I did some research on SoS and found out that, in medical terminology, SOS stands for “if necessary”. I was quite surprised at the discovery, and also a little sheepish for I was quick to judge the girl back at the chemist when I myself wasn’t amply aware. I had a little laugh at the whole turn of events but also learned quite a vital lesson.