Wednesday, November 09, 2016

More Waiting Room Blues





Monday I spent two hours in a medical procedure waiting room.  The waiting area was in two sections.  The inner section were chairs, a counter, a TV, and a sign that said no snacks or drinks..  The outer section was a sun room with a lot of windows and uncomfortable chairs - but it was OK to eat snacks and drink drinks and coffee.  I picked the sun room.  I need coffee to survive.
Every-so-often a nurse would come in and call out a family and when that family stepped up the nurse or nurse's helper would update them on the medical procedure or carry them back to see them.
Once the nurse or nurse's aide came by and called out the name "Trammell".  Among the four or five of us in the sun room nobody responded.  She went into the inner waiting room and I heard her call "Trammell" again, and apparently found the family.  I think she took them through another door to the recovery room door.
When I heard the name Trammell I perked up and was interested.  Doing family research years ago I found out my great grandfather grew up with his mother's family surname (Trammell) until in his twenties he changed it changed it to his probable father's surname Hunter.  I have done a lot of research on the Trammell family, from the first one that arrived in Virginia in the 1600s and was an indenture servant and followed the family trees on down through history.  One of our Trammell's relatives fought at the Alamo. 
I wanted to follow the nurse/nurse's aide into the inner waiting room to see who responded to their Trammell call, but decided I couldn't do it without being awkward or strange.
But I watched closely as people left after that.  They had to walk through the sun waiting room.  About five patients and their loved ones left until I was called.   I decided it could not be two groups of them (because of foreign accents).  But of the remaining three groups, I was related to one and I bet I could even tell them something about some of their ancestors.
One time while waiting the nurse/nurse's aide called out Cohen or Conner.  I doubled focused when she said the name and it sounded something close to "Hunter".  She saw my eyes and ears enlarge and looked at me directly and asked me directly, "Are you Cohen (or Conner)?.
I said, "No Hunter... Eddie Hunter."

She said, "Oh, I was about to give you another wife."  I thought that was witty and quick. Then I thought maybe she uses that crack daily.  Hmmm.  
Finally they called my name and two other names. The nurse helper led us to another little room just outside the recovery room and told us to sit there until we they came and got uis.
Then I noticed the lady sitting across from me.  She said, "We have to quit meeting like this."
I recognized her.  She was at another procedure about a month ago.  Small world.l

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