First stop, Urgent Care. I’ve not felt well since the last visit, when I was tossed from The Missing Sock for not wearing a mask, and met the nice officer with beautiful hands. Gentleman walks out, asks what I need. To see a doctor. What for? People are seated outside at Quiznos to my left, and an older couple with a black dog are to my right. I wanted to yell BECAUSE I HAVE EBOLA, COVID, AND A RAGING CASE OF TUBERCULOSIS. I didn’t, but I couldn’t get close enough to him to quietly vomit personal information, as he backed up each time I tried to tell him what I thought was wrong. He tells me I need a mask. I’m medically exempt. What’s your reason? On the sidewalk, people on both sides, Eric asks me this. Give me a mask, just give me the mask. We’re a medical clinic...really now, I wanted to say, sarcasm in overdrive. I thought I’d stop by Quiznos for a quick diagnosis.
Looping the mask over my ears, I hold the thing away from my nose and proceed to check-in.
Side note: It didn’t seem to matter I pulled the mask 49 times away from my nose, or that I pulled it off my nose completely when things got a little dicey. As long as I had the mofo looped around my ears, everyone was happy. This is sad.
Annie gets my vitals. Your oxygen is low (pulse ox)...NO SHIT. I CAN’T BREATHE.
I didn’t say the S word but I did tell her it’s the anxiety, I can’t breathe.
I pull the mask down, breathe deep, pulse ox is now up to 92.
Sure enough, I’ve not fought off infection from a couple weeks ago like I should have. Another antibiotic is ordered, but don’t exercise with this one as there’s a slight risk of tendon tears. What the heck? You can walk around just don’t do anything strenuous.
Fatty, fatty, fatty.
Where am I? Into which dimension have I fallen?
To Albertsons for prescriptions...I want to give them plenty of time, so I shop for essentials.
Excuse me, EXCUSE ME, someone is talking to me, apparently...she tugs at her mask and tells me we are to wear masks. This had the potential to get ugly, she was direct and firm and I’ve had enough. I am medically exempt. She ceased and desisted, said no problem.
Thank God.
After a two hour wait for prescriptions, and at least three additional phone calls to Urgent Care, it’s discovered my prescriptions were sent to a pharmacy I don’t even use. Urgent Care is calling them in, along with an electronic form of RX. Finally, poor Albertsons has them. Oh, wait. There’s only one, supposed to be two. UC didn’t call in the second RX, to the second pharmacy, the correct pharmacy. No problem, I tell the tech, I’ll OTC the other one. He looks at me, woefully...your insurance won’t pay until the 28th, you just had this filled. No, I didn’t. (I don’t get antibiotics refilled every seven days anyway, who does?) I’ve not yet received the original RX, for today. I’m getting weepy at this point. I’ll pay, tell me the amount. Another tech comes over, tells me not to worry, she’ll take care of this. She calls Wrong Pharmacy, tells them to give it back, they do, I pay $2 and I’m out.
I get my clothes out of the washer at Jackson Laundry, where law wasn’t called, I wasn’t questioned concerning masking. And to top it off, my clothes smell fresh, not musty like The Missing Sock. Maybe being tossed from there was a blessing in disguise.
The balcony is a good place to dry clothes rather than risking any further encounters.
It’s been a day.
Y’all, what are we going to do?
How many people have to know the exact reasons for not masking before I’m no longer required to spill my guts?
Personal information is no longer personal.
Most people who aren’t masking have very legitimate reasons. And besides that, other people are kinda gross, those who do mask, touching everything, and then rubbing their mask around, pulling it down, scratching their butt, rubbing their mask.
You will never convince me this is good.
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