The Optomologist Visit

Here this old couple goes tooling down I59 on the way to Billie’s appointment — 30 miles away in Gadsden.  We hate being late, so we always leave in plenty of time; and this time we were in luck finding a handicapped park.

I got signed in and had to look for a seat — that waiting room was jam-packed.  You’ve never seen as many elderly folks (most of us were overweight, too)– canes, walkers, wheel chairs and motor chairs.  I wondered if it was senior citizen’s day or what. Visualize maybe 20 grey-haired patients in this waiting room — some of us couldn’t walk, some couldn’t hear and one man couldn’t see — it was a hoot!!  You know how it goes — I had just gotten seated and settled for the wait when the receptionist called for me to come back to the desk.  I stood, but there was no way to get there — an older lady pushing an even older lady in a wheel chair had the way blocked.  I was back mid-way of the room and speaking in a loud voice, I said, “I can’t get there right now we have a traffic jam.”  At this the whole reception room howled. (You see when you’re this age you have to laugh to keep from crying).  Finally the way cleared enough for me and my four wheeler (walker) to get through and you know what she wanted — she had to verify everything.  With that completed, I started back to my seat and decided to take another route.  Wrong, again.  As I turned the corner, I discovered a man there with a cast on his leg!!  Had to turn around and squeeze by the wheel chair again.  Oh me, I’ll bet it’s bad to get old.

As I waited was sitting by a lady and, of course, the conversation started (I can’t talk softly).  She was lamenting about being 75 years old and all the problems.  To this I asked, “And what about 85 years old?”  She couldn’t believe my age.  “Oh my, I don’t know if I’ll make it that far or not,” was her reply. “And when you get there are you just gonna sit and drool?” I asked.  Now a young lady just across the isle burst out in laughter.  Remember I said I can’t talk softly and she had heard all the conversation.  During the conversation, the lady said she had to cook supper for the preacher that night.  I just had to tell her about another lady who was feeding the preacher and kept insisting that he have another piece of fried chicken.  Her husband had a chicken farm and she said, “I can’t hardly keep ’em fried up as fast as they die!”  And then she asked that I tell that tale again so she could remember it to tell her preacher that night!!

Now when I got my eye drops and was waiting for the dilating,  I got into the most interesting conversation with a lady who had quilted with a church group and I asked where she lived.  Would you believe the minister at her church at the time had been minister at our church as few years ago.  We both were saying  how much we thought of him and just as we really got going with the talk, the nurse came for me.  I quickly told her, “I can’t go right now, I’m enjoying this conversation.”  Of course, I stopped and struggled down the hall after her.

Here I was in the examining room with this doctor I’ve been seeing for last 25 years.  He grew up in the south, but talks so fast.  I told him again, as I’ve done before, “You’ll have to slow down — I can’t hear as fast as you talk.”  Well, he tried, but talked so softly that I guessed at least at a part of what he said.  When I started going to this doctor he had four little children — of course, I had to ask about them.  The youngest is graduating from college this year, the youngest daughter is about to be married and another son is married.  Wow!!  How the time flies.  When all the children were in college at the same time I told him he would have to get a second job to help pay the bills.  “No,” he said; “I want them to get a job.”

Having an appointment at 10:00 meant I got to eat out and with that done, I wanted to do a little shopping.  Well, you can guess how long that lasted.  In a mall using a walker and quite a distance to walk!!!!!!!!!!!!  Ugh!  Not soon enough we found another door where I could exit and The One I Love Best brought the vehicle around to that side.  Coming home through the country, I was amazed at some wildflowers and wanted to get pictures — too hot — had to go to the bathroom.  We’ve promised ourselves we’ll go back for pictures.  On arriving at home, we had to have a nap and then it was back to cutting okra, picking and shelling peas.  Remember — no rest the weary and the wicked want none.  Anyway you look at it it’s country living.