Last Wednesday was annoying and terrifying squared. It started out first thing in the morning with an MRI on my head and eyeballs to try to detect the illusive reason for migraines. It was an annoying procedure. Going into the MRI tunnel head first is not as bad as feet first because at least it wasn’t as claustrophobic, but the incessant hammering noise, the jackhammer pounding is enough to cause a migraine. It lasted 45 minutes, with the usual pull-me-out-after-half-an-hour and inject me with dye before sliding me back in. It is just one of those medical procedures, that is more annoying than anything. I didn’t even have to get into a humiliating gown. Just put my purse down and slide on in.
I left the MRI center and headed up the 163 North freeway to go to work. A couple of miles before my exit, I noticed that I was following a large truck that was pulling a single-wide mobile home on a flatbed trailer. For some strange reason I noticed the tires on the back of the trailer. They seemed very thin, more like car tires. I kept thinking of them and wondered if there was even a double axle or if the cops would notice something like this and pull the driver over to give him a fixit ticket. I thought about passing the vehicle, but knew my exit was coming up soon, so decided to stay behind. Just as I was wondering about the tires, the one on the back right side broke off and was rolling very fast towards me! I had seconds or less to react, since the tire and my car were approaching a head-on collision. Fortunately my exit was right there and I swerved into it. I was too shaken to notice if the wayward tire hit anyone behind me, but I did notice that the truck kept on hauling fast up the freeway. It was divine intervention that I was drawn to look at – and think about – the tires for so long. I know that if I wasn’t paying attention, the tire and I would have collided.
After work I had an acupuncture appointment. I look forward to the nap I take during the session. This time I happened to share the room with a boy about 12 years old who sat in the recliner, and a young woman who lay on the table next to me. Before I lay down, I put my cell phone on vibrate and slung my purse on a rack next to the bed. The doctor came in and poked me in about 20 different spots, including my head, hands, legs and feet. I settled into a deep, motionless sleep. Acupuncture can hurt. It can hurt when the needles go in, and it usually does hurt if you move the body part that has the needles. Twenty minutes into my hour appointment I was awakened by my phone vibrating. It then vibrated again, and again and again. Someone was trying to reach me and I was lying here immobilized, virtually pinned to the table. Someone called me at least 8 separate times, one right after the other. It had to be an emergency. Something terrible must be wrong. Was it Ben or Mikayla? Scott? Michelle? Did someone have an accident? Did someone die? I was terrified. These nightmarish thoughts hounded me. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t call for the doctor. She would never hear me and it would disturb the two other patients. Why was someone calling me over and over? I finally decided to take action. As painful as it was, I reached my left hand over to my right and pulled out all the needles so that my right hand would be free to reach into my purse. I grabbed my phone and looked at the missed calls. They were from Scott. I checked my voicemail and there were no messages. This was puzzling. It must not be an emergency if Scott didn’t leave any messages for me after calling me so many times. I put the phone down and impatiently waited for my appointment to be over. When the doctor came in, she was surprised to see that I had pulled out my own needles from my hand. As soon as I paid, I rushed to the car to call Scott. He said that his phone wasn’t working and every time he dialed, he could not hear it ring, so he thought it must not have gone through. It had, and it had terrified me.
I drove away from the acupuncture clinic jangled. My internet connection had broken at home and I had assignments due for my City College online class. So I decided to go to City College’s computer lab to use the computer there so that I could finish my assignments and submit them. By the time I parked and walked across campus to the lab, it was 7:00. Tired, but determined, I tried the door. It was locked. I could see a couple of people in the room, but got the feeling that the lab was closed. Posted on the door were the hours. The lab closed at 7 p.m. I had just missed it. Hungry and tired, I went home. How can a college computer lab close so early? Just another annoying experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment