The Immunization Clinic

SO I mentioned awhile back that Nathan got his school shots and didn't cry as much as he does about actually going to school. I didn't tell you the story of what happened BEFORE the shots.

Imagine if you will a very crowded waiting room on a hot afternoon. It is nearing closing time and they are obviously backed up. There is a group of soldiers waiting for shots, probably getting ready to deploy. There are some retirees who are always in medical clinics. And of course, moms and dads and kids in the flood of back-to-school immunization compliance.

Nathan and I find a seat and he is happy to play with his toy car he brought with him. I settle in for what seems to be a long wait. As we are looking around the room, a young mom walks in with 3 boys. The youngest is instantly attracted to Nathan's toy and comes right over. The mom and the oldest are at the desk checking in.

Somehow, the middle boy notices Nathan's glasses and starts pointing and getting excited for his mom to see. Unfortunately, this is rather common for us and young kids are all too observant of a kid with giant lenses. I start to brace for what will inevitably be a tricky question and/or explanation that won't destroy Nathan's ego.

Instead, the mom comes over and says, "Oh, did he have the surgery?" "The surgery" as tho there is only one that is done on eyes...but at least she seems familiar with eyes that need surgery.

Turns out that her middle son was born "blind" with not exactly a cataract, but something similar. They did an "experimental" surgery that gave him his sight back and from what I gathered is now called "Lasik". Wow, what a coincidence that another mom I just happened to meet knows this stuff and has been down some of this same path.

In another jaw dropping moment, and I don't remember exactly how it came about, but her oldest son was born without a thyroid.

!!!!!!

Really, what are the odds of that? Not only the odds of being born without one, but that a woman would have a kid with eye issues and a kid with thyroid issues would be here the same time as I am?

So the oldest son starts to get excited that he's met someone who is also without a thyroid.

Somewhere in the middle of all this, I start to notice a definite wave of indignation coming at us from all over the room. It was like everyone was giving us the stink eye. We were totally chatting about eyes and thyroids and she home-schools because the middle boy has ADD and the schools wanted him doped up. She skipped grades growing up and went to college at 14 and it was a terrible experience...

There is a black lady a row over trying to get my attention. The mom goes up to the desk for something and the black lady demands in a very surly attitude, "Whose child is this?!" She is pointing to the youngest son. I point to the other mom. Black lady assumes we are bestest of friends and that I should be able to discipline the boy for hitting her daughter. About then, the mom comes back and the black lady is saying, "Excuse me...excuse me!" and mom seems oblivious as she is telling her oldest son not to point fingers at people. At this point, a second black lady sitting a few seats down from first black lady steps in and with very rude tones tells mom that her son needs to apologize to first black lady's daughter for hitting her. Mom gives a look, son gives a very insincere almost inaudible apology and you could almost feel the black ladies seething with anger.

Sometime in this exchange, I start to notice paper airplanes are being flown all over the room. Not just one or two, but like a LOT of airplanes. They are zinging by people's heads. One nearly landed point-first on a sleeping baby. One landed on a guy's shoulder which he promptly ripped off his shirt and crumpled. Lots of frustrated anger is pouring from the rest of the room towards our little corner. I'd been so caught up in talking that I hadn't noticed that her boys where the ones making and launching all the airplanes...running around the room after them...and generally being loud and out-of-control. No wonder I'd been feeling a collective stink-eye!

So luckily, she gets called back for her appointment and they are ready to go home. You could almost hear a collective sigh of relief when they walked out the door. It was so ODD. I never expected to meet someone that deals with the issues I deal with...I have never felt such animosity from a group of strangers...and I don't know that I've been associated with someone who causes people to think "Good riddance!" when they leave.

So now I'm torn...we exchanged phone numbers to have a play date...I haven't heard from her yet. I'm slightly intrigued as she is really the first person I've had a good talk with since we moved here...and yet...do I expose my rather well-behaved kids to her not-so-well-behaved ones? Do I want to be alienated and given the stink eye at a playground where injuries are much bigger than a papercut? Hmm...