
For most people, getting to the dentist is the easy part. It’s the time in the chair that’s difficult.
But for me it was the other way around.
I had an appointment for 9 am on Friday morning. The receptionist had given me a reminder card, and called once to remind me. I had to stop for gas on the way, so I left in plenty of time. As I was filling my tank around 8:30 with plenty of time to spare, my phone rang.
“Are you coming?” the receptionist asked me when I answered.
Uh-oh. This couldn’t be good.
“I’m on my way.”
“Are you in the parking lot?”
I asked her what she meant, and she revealed that my appointment had been at 8:15 and I was therefore 15 minutes late instead of 30 minutes early. I explained the mix up about the appointment times. I was sort of hoping that since I’m such a good customer and all, she would just squeeze me in when I arrived.
No dice. They were booked solid and I would have to reschedule.
Well, that wasn’t the end of the world. Then she looked through her appointment book and realized she had a cancellation for that day at 4:15.
It would mean going to work late and then leaving early again, but I took it.
Just before I hung up, she reminded me that everyone had to wear a mask in the office.
“Yes, yes,” I said, barely listening (is this how I missed the appointment time?) as I turned around.
Later that same day….
I was driving to the dentist’s office for the second time, again with plenty of time to spare, when I remembered about the mask. I wasn’t worried, because I keep a bag of disposable masks in the car. Something told me to check, so at the next red light I opened the glove box and found the bag of masks…empty.
I pulled over to the side of the road and looked through my purse, the rest of the glove box, the backseat, the trunk.
For the first time in three years I had no masks in the car.
The receptionist was going to kill me.
There was a convenience store on the way, and I crossed my fingers that they would have masks for sale. It was a small mom and pop place, and I looked everywhere to no avail.
There was a man talking to the cashier, telling her an extended story about—I kid you not—how to get rid of the moles in his yard.
I kept glancing at my watch, realizing that if I didn’t get a mask here I had two options:
- Stop somewhere else to buy a mask and be late for my appointment
- Go to the appointment without a mask
Seeing as I’d already crossed the receptionist once today, I didn’t want to do it twice.
The cashier must’ve seen the panic in my eyes, for she ushered mole man out of the way.
“Do you sell masks?” I asked in desperation.
“Hold on,” she said.
I closed my eyes in relief.
But then she started looking around behind the counter. What was she doing? I needed her to point me to the masks!
Then she came up with a bag of what was obviously her personal stash of disposable masks. She gave me one.
“What do I owe you?”
She waved it away.
To repay her kindness, I bought a Pepsi and a candy bar.
“Where are you going?” she asked—meaning, where was I going that I needed a mask.
Around here, there are now very few places outside of hospitals that require masks.
“The dentist,” I told her, and thanked her for her kindness.
I arrived with three minutes to spare.
After all that, the appointment itself was uneventful—a routine cleaning, a quick check by the dentist to say everything looked fine.
Believe me, I triple checked the time on the follow-up appointment I made on my way out.
Masks don’t seem to be the thing here anymore, in spite of the pplague still being around. Glad you got sorted in the end.
I’m sure the dentist’s office had extra masks, but I didn’t want to look like a forgetful idiot twice in one day!
No, once is enough!
Why did you get a follow-up appointment if everything was fine?
What percentage mole was mole man?
Have no fear! Just my routine 6 month cleaning……!
I had to laugh at this because it reminded me of a situation from a year or so ago. My wife was working from home when she had a dental issue that required immediate attention. The dentist said if she could get there in a half-hour she could be seen that day. I was working from home as well and decided I’d take her in. We were racing about the house shutting things down before we were to leave, breathlessly getting the car out, and getting on our way. “Do you have the masks? No, I thought you did.” Fortunately, we had spares in the glove compartment lol.
It was easy to remember when we had to wear them everywhere! Now I am always forgetting…
Periodically I check to make sure we still have some in the cars…thanks for the follow!