A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To ...

I am almost always early when I am to be at a certain place at a certain time. Some would say I have a fear of being late. I am not quiet that bad. I think a slight compulsion to be early would better describe me, and 99% of Hunters my age or older who share my genes.

The other day I had an eye doctor appointment at 9:30am, which I was 15 minutes early for. What I didn’t realize or remember, they also had me down for a depth and peripheral vision test at 9:00am.

We came strolling in at 9:15am thinking we were about 15 minutes early. I carried a book to read during the time waiting. The receptionist leaned over and saw the name I wrote and said, “Mr. Hunter, are you aware you were to be here at 9:00?”

My heart leaped. I thought maybe grasping at my heart was in order. What me late? “At 9:00?” I asked.

The receptionist said I was to come in at 9:00 for tests and then see the eye-doctor at 9:30. She added she would go back and see if they can still do the eye test.

She went back and returned with a technician at her heels. She said since it was only my left eye that is giving me the problem she thought she can make it by 9:30. One eye is quicker.

When I got inside the room for the tests I apologized for being late and she broke in and says, “That is why we tell people to be on time, if someone is late it backs everything up.”

I wanted to say, “I know, I know! I have felt that way all my adult life! And normally I see people waltzing in 15 to 30 minutes late and no big deal was made.” But I didn’t. Her hands were on the controls.

When the female doctor did see me she looked over all the facts, tests and latest eye pressure numbers and said the new eye drops she prescribed are not doing any good.

She said laser surgery was the only solution. She put me in the hands of her assistant nurse to make the arrangements. Both the doctor and the nurse assured me laser eye surgery for glaucoma is a piece of cake. They said it only takes about an 5 minutes, and after about an hour wait, they check certain things to see how it went, and then I could go out and go to a party if I wanted to.

I will undergo laser surgery in about two weeks. I will be a piece of cake. What kind of cake?

When Anna and I got into the car I said, “Well, I know not to be late again! They operate!!”

On down the road a mile or so Anna said she didn’t understand something the doctor had said, she said the explanation was blurred. I told her blurred was a good choice for a word at the moment.

Stick around, I got a million of ‘em, I tellya!