Morning at the Doctor's Office

Mid morning today I had an appointment with my cardiologist. It was just a routine 6 month visit. Now, my doctor’s cardiologist “group” now takes up and entire floor of a medical building. The 3rd floor. The failing heart business must be good. When you stepped off the elevator there is a pleasant look lady asks you can she help you. I told her the doctor I had an appointment with and she said that would be the Violet
Room.

I went into the Violet Room and signed at the window and sat down and started reading a book I brought along. 1776. I have a knack or other people have a knack of piling up behind me. If we go to a restaurant we usually hit it just right that there is little or no waiting – piles of people come after we do and pretty much fill up the waiting place, after we made it through.

This morning, after I signed in, before I was situated good a lined formed at the counter to sign in that was 9 or 10 people deep – almost out the door of the Violet Room.

There was a long tall skinny fragile looking old woman there that looked to be in her 90s. Wait – there was something familiar about her… I vaguely remember her body language… hmmmm… high school! She was in the same year I was, she couldn’t have been over 65 or 66. She kept looking at me and I spoke to her saying didn’t she go to Marietta High School, she graduated, actually in 1959, a year before I did. She seemed delighted when I told her my name, but I could tell it was a false delight. I don’t think she could conjure up my memory.

I found a chair to wait that I could see people as they came off the elevator and also come into the waiting room. I could check everybody out. I noticed at the elevator area there are two hostesses. One asks you what doctor you are to see, and direct you in the right color room and the other one asks you can she get you a cup of coffee and she was also handing out little sweep pops on a stick.

I also noticed they were just downright flirty to older men, in their 70s and 80s. I guess they figured they were harmless and they enjoyed being flirted at. No harm done.

The nurse, a black lady, called for me. I followed her to the scales. I took off my jacket and my shoes. I asked to play a little music so I could strip some more. She giggled.

The doctor said all looked good, and told me to keep up the good work.

As I left to get on the elevator one of the hostesses was out there, she said, “Let me press “down” for you” She had to justify her job. She said some people when she tried to be friendly with them would not be friendly back. I imitated what the people not being friendly back must do, I grabbed my heart, and said, “Poor me, I have a bad heart!” She got a kick out of that. But, she was putting the charm-to-old-farts trick on me.

I left the doctors’ office with his last words to me to keep-up-the-good-work in mind and went to Cindi’s World Famous Hotdogs and had a chili-slaw dog and a chili burger.

One good thing, when Cindi bought the hotdog joint from Betty Cindi brought her long tall skinny sister along to work for her. Every time I have been there to eat the teenage sister looked very unhappy and discontent. Cindi wasn’t there today. She wasn’t there last time I ate there either. She was pregnant, so she is still out with the baby. Her sister seems to be happy, efficient, and running the operation now. It just took her some time to get it right, that’s all.