I waited four days to go to the doctor, I wanted to make sure insurance had taken effect after furlough, plus I didn’t want to miss any work. I knew the problem, diagnosed myself. I purchased cranberry juice, two bottles, pushed fluids, and did what I needed to do.
Sure enough there’s a UTI going on up in there. This has happened two or three times in my life, and you guys know that you know. TMI.
After work I stop by Urgent Care, self-diagnosis confirmed. A couple of prescriptions are ordered. The Missing Sock is a couple doors down, so I put a load of laundry on to wash. Throwing my laundry bag and clothes in my car, I hit the lock button, and start to head over to Quiznos to pick up a sub for dinner. But wait, where are my keys? I walk to the washer, look around, no keys. Dang. I pull out my phone and call AAA. I order my sub and head to Smith's to pick up prescriptions.
Standing in line, when it's my turn I give her my pertinent information. That will be $126. Do you have insurance you would like to try? Yes, I reply. It doesn't work. I ask her to give me a minute to call insurance, providing the opportunity for other customers to check out, and she tells me, "We close in a few minutes Debbie." I was at my wits end, didn't feel well, about in tears, crap. I hate tears. I've never been rude at the pharmacy. I tell her I can't HELP it. I step aside and make the phone call. I NEED this medication. I'm hurting.
Insurance isn't available at this time, you guys have heard the recording. Leave a message and we will return your call as soon as possible. I'm saying ugly words in my head. I need this medication in a bad way. I decide I'll pay $126 and deal with them another day.
It's my turn, again. The lady pulls out an unfamiliar prescription. I tell her no, I'm here for antibiotics. She can't find mine, tells me it hasn't been called in. She sent it an hour ago, I watched her send it. Frustration mounts. They can't find it. The pharmacist is checking everything. I tell them I'll transfer my prescriptions tomorrow, not because they can't find them, but because Ms. Ma'am didn't want to allow me time to call insurance. I tell them I work retail, most would consider not near as important as medical, and if a client wants to shop at closing time, BY GOSH THEY SHOP. Even if it's for a SWEATER, I say emphatically. I stay. IT'S MY JOB. When it comes to health, NO. MA'AM. No ma'am, what you did is wrong. The pharmacist tells me they're staying. Not for me you're not. I'll transfer my prescriptions tomorrow.
I walk back to the laundry, move my clothes from washer to dryer. I stand back in a corner, out of the sun. I can't sit in my car, it's locked with my keys inside, AAA wouldn't be here for an hour.
The day can't get any worse.
A man, I'd say around 6'4" - 6'6" walks over to me and tells me to put on a mask. Excuse me? What's your name? He gives me his name and asks mine. Nope, no dice Anthony. If you won't put on a mask you need to leave. I'll leave when my clothes finish drying. I'm at least 10 feet from any other customers, the laundry is almost empty, except for this man, walking up in my space. The owner is usually the one I see, I have no idea who this man is. He tells me he will call the police. You go right ahead, I tell him. Why do you not have a mask on? Why do you need my personal information?
He leaves, comes back over, asks me if I won't put on a mask, will I wait outside. The sun is hot in the mountains, I'm nauseous, and AAA hasn't arrived. No, I won't wait outside.
I'm expecting the cruiser when it pulls up. I'm a firm believer in paying the fiddler when I dance. As I'm walking out to introduce myself, my car alarm goes off. Honking, police officer, big boy unlocking my car. I proceed to officer, look at his name, well dang. Hi blah blah. How do you know me, he asks. My horn's honking, laundry in hand, I ask him if he would mind holding it for a second while I find my keys and stop the honking. Nope, you can put them there (in a dirty ass basket). Sheesh, no. Can you hold on just a minute, while I find my keys? He's cordial...the entire time he's cordial. How do you know me? Just a minute I tell him. I find my keys, stop the honking, ask big boy if I need to sign anything. Nope. He greets officer, smiling. I tell him I'm in trouble for not wearing a mask. He smiles, tells me his is in his pocket. Officer says, "I'm wearing mine."
Finally it's officer and I. How do you know me? I'm rambling, trying to get my stuff together. My colleagues thought they should hook you and I up, nope, it will happen organically if it's supposed to happen, I tell him. You need my driver license don't you? Yes. I pull out my license.
Do you mind if I record this? No he tells me, he's recording it too. Duh, I know this. He tells me I can get a copy, my phone isn't cooperating.
I don't call the SO when crap goes down out here, I don't want to hear my voice on a 911 call, I don't want to be associated with BS. And here I am, standing outside the laundry with law enforcement. Damn.
He says you wouldn't leave, referring to the manager of The Missing Sock. Correct. They do not have to let someone in if they aren't wearing a mask. (I'd already been in and out numerous times. It would've been nice if we could've had this confrontation early on, before my clothes were wet.) But they are required to accommodate you, correct? Yes. I was standing in the corner, by myself. Go ahead, take me to jail. I'm not taking you to jail. I'm in tears at this point. He tells me he will give me time to pull myself together while he talks to the manager of The Missing Sock. No, don't give me time. Let me finish. I suck it up. I tell him the guy came back over, asks me to step outside. I decline his offer. My keys are locked in my car, it's hot, and, I tell the officer, this is where it gets good...I tell the bastard I can't, I'm sick. We both almost fell out laughing. I'm not COVID sick I tell him. But why does the manager need my personal information? Officer asks me if I have a medical reason for not wearing a mask. Absolutely. Come on, slap the cuffs on and let's go. No, he won't slap the cuffs on. He tells me he will have to cite me for trespassing if I enter the laundry again, he tells me they probably won't want me back. Hell, I don't like being here when I have to be here. I don't have a washer and dryer, but I'll figure it out, no problem.
I'm home. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
There's a really big problem here, you guys need to pay attention. When a man [the manager of The Missing Sock, who I didn't know from Adam, had never seen before, and I've been going there for years] demands an answer to why medically I don't wear a mask — I asked him if he wanted to know my personal business, yes, he tells me — can call the law, law is obligated to respond (I understand this), a lady who minds her own business, does the right thing, is now the bad guy.
If you don't think civil rights are involved in this mess, you are sadly mistaken. Remember, big changes are kinda like the devil, he doesn't dress up in a red suit with a pitchfork. He sneaks up on you, little by little, bit by bit, looking all good and stuff. And this is what's happening today, in America, little by little bit by bit our country is being destroyed. It's small things initially, they're sneaky like that.
Remember the boiling frog fable? A frog is being slowly boiled alive. The premise is that if a frog is put suddenly into boiling water, it will jump out, but if the frog is put in tepid water which is then brought to a boil slowly, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death.
I've not been comfortable with this from the beginning. If I were the only one to feel this way, no problem, I still would feel this way. I will stand. I know I'm capable and strong.
When you see socialism taking over in other countries, what do you typically see? Destruction of history, monuments, rights are stripped. We are already halfway there. I see people acquiesce every day, little by little, bit by bit, people I never would have thought would give up their rights. People who now point at friends and say she's not obeying you, turning friends against friends, families against families. Survival. But here's the deal, no one gets out of this unscathed.
Research Lenin.
I'm tired, not feeling spiffy tonight. I need to edit, as always. But there it is. Me, of all people, told to leave a business, even when following guidelines.
Our nation is messed up. Down is up, up is down.
God help us.
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