Waiting Room Nosiness & Cliques

We sat in a doctor’s office waiting room for over an hour and a half Friday. Of course, if we had not been an hour early, then we would not have had to sit that long, but what if we had a flat on the way or had a wreck? Or had to wait on a train? I get nervous just thinking about it.

One young man, probably in his late 30s brought his father in. His father was short with a nice thick stock of gray hair. The old man talked just like Billy Bob Thornton in SLINGBLADE. He even used the same type of terminology the Sling Blade man would use. The old guy was obsessed wanting a Diet Coke. His son kept telling him to wait and they would get a Diet Coke on the way out because if they left now to get a drink they might call his name and they would miss their time. I wanted to catch the old man eyes and nod my head, to show him I concurred with his son. The old fart kept fussing about wanting a Diet Coke. Finally the son gave in and got his father a Diet Coke. I say it was his father but he called the old man by his first name. It is none of my business anyway.

One elderly lady came to see the doctor’s lab to find out if they had ran whatever kind of sample she left them yet. She was out of her medicine and was depending on them basing her next prescription on the test results. It was a lack of communications. She thought it would be sooner than it was going to be. The technician told her it would be seven more days before they got the results back. The technician also said they can call in a prescription to her drugstore of what she is using now, to hold her off. The tech then asked her which drug store does she go to most often. The elderly lady said she goes to two drug stores most often, and she named them both and where they were at. The technician asked her again, which one of the two would she prefer to get her prescription at. Again, the elderly lady said, “I go to both of them.” The tech said, “ I’m going to call the drugstore on Cobb Parkway. Go there in about an hour to pick up your prescription.” I hope that worked out and she didn’t go to the other one.

Walking by a man saw a woman and stood looking at her a moment and then asked her if her name is BLA BLA. She said yes and he must be BLA BLA. They were in the same high school graduating class. He had a sweatshirt that said CHEROKEE on it. Cherokee County, Georgia? Cherokee Nation? Nothing they wore or said gave any hint what high school they knew each other from. The man told her he didn’t see her this year at the 30 year reunion. She said nobody called her. (ahah! One of those invisible people!). He said he went and wished he hadn’t. He said “they” were still in cliques just like they were back then.

I know how cliques are. I went to Marietta High School which had the worse clique infestation that is possible bet My friend Monty and I were talking not long about high school cliques. We said we both really didn’t belong to any clique, like the jocks or the honor students. We were sort of like tops spinning solo beween clique groups. We got along well with them all, I suppose, but were also outsiders to them all.

I didn’t mention it, but we came closest to finding our nick in the hell raisers clique.

Finding our nick,
In the Hell Raisers,
Clique.

I’m a poet, it is in my blood. Read the book report post on yesterday's blog.

I think cliques have good and bad points. People naturally want friends around them, especially in high school. With your co-clique members you can share common likes and dislikes. One of your dislikes will be outsiders who are not in your group. And that is where bullying comes in.

Very few teenagers prefer to spend their high school years as loners, but some are forced too – they are just not accepted by any of their peers. They usually have their own drummer they march to. If they are denied fellowship among their own, the people who denied it should be ashamed. Unacceptance could lead to suicide.

Cliques are not limited to the snobs at high school. Churches, extended families, big companies, and any large group of people are natural habitats for cliques. You can’t get away from them.

POP! The man and woman were talking about the 30th reunion. He said he is not going back to another one and she said she has no intention of attending a reunion too. They more or less said, “Who needs them?”

They talked about Facebook friends and how old high school acquaintances who didn’t speak to them in high school are now asking to be their facebook friend. They both thought that was ironic but it didn’t prevent them from agreeing to become each other’s facebook friend.
Another thing, as invisible as they claimed to be, they certainly drew the attention of almost everybody in the waiting room. The sling blade man was totally self-absorbed with his own needs to notice them but just about everybody else. As a matter of fact, one elderly man leaned forward and craned his neck to hear them better.

Jock Clique
Drama Queen Clique
Old Fart Clique