Thursday, August 12, 2021

Vaxed, Baby

 I was late.

This is normal. I can set off an hour early only to discover the car needs fuel or the body needs fuel or there is a tree across the track or the dog has run off or an emergency phone call.

Anyway, I was late and the receptionist called me as I passed the bay named after an interloper. 'If you are not going to make this appointment, please let us know, so we can give the vaccine to someone else.' So when I shouldered my bag and myself into the clinic twenty minutes late, she said 'just sit over there beside room 6 and wait'.

The doctor, a portly Indian man in his sixties, left room 6, went to the reception and returned with a small, green plastic kidney tray. 'This way,' he gestured.

'Which arm?' The green tray held a hypodermic and a tiny vial. 'Right or left?'

'I don't care, any arm,' I said. But he obviously needed to know so I said, 'left arm thanks.' 

'Right then, roll up your sleeve.' Or, as I pulled my dress down over my shoulder, 'Okay, roll down your sleeve.'

As he injected me, he asked 'What kind of books do you write. Novels?'

'Yes. Novels. I write novels. Sometimes.'

'All done. Good.' He binned the needle and the empty vaccine bottle and then fiddled with the forms on his computer. 'Don't go yet. There'll be trouble outside if I don't fill out this bit.'

I felt like dropping to my knees and thanking this stranger. I exited his room almost bowing and scraping. I felt so grateful in that moment. Maybe this sentiment is silly. Not sure.

9 comments:

  1. The sentiment is NOT silly. The jab may have saved your life. Good for you!

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    1. It's a bit strange here Jennifer. We have no covid and so getting vaxxed is like getting ... ah not sure. Anyway, it felt good.

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    2. No covid? Lucky you! Our school is already overrun with it and the kids have only been back a week and a half. South Carolina just hit a milestone...10,000 dead from it so far in our small state. We were lucky and got vaxxed back in March.

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    3. Yes we live in what has been called the hermit kingdom. I quite like it ... closed borders and one case is enough to send the whole state into lockdown. Being a hermit myself, I'm pretty ok with this!

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  2. I felt like I did my bit but nobody has it here either. But there we are, they can't keep me out of places now, or so the theory goes.

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  3. I'm fully vaxed too. The Delta variant is circulating in the US. It is our youth and the unvaxed that are testing positive and in some cases requiring hospitalization. Currently, the virus is a pandemic of the unvaxed. Age 12 and up qualify for the vaccine.

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    1. Best wishes to you both, Rachel and Susan. Thanx for your comments x

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  4. Not silly at all Sarah. I'm glad you are protected. Sounds like you had the same elderly Indian doctor we did. Poor guy. Giving up his weekends to do this job but good on him. He told Boy Wonder it was the most boring job on earth. Haha. Maybe you should let him know how you feel about getting it. I'm sure he'd appreciate that.

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    1. Yes, he's an interesting man. I liked his style. I did profusely give my thanks to him.

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