16,197. YOU SHOULD SEE

YOU SHOULD SEE

I read the NYTimes again today, sitting

back in a hospital chair. In a waiting room

like this one, there isn't much 'd rather

read  -  some Bloomsbury book, perhaps

or some Pre-Raphaelite blather. At least

when my some needs pumping from bile,

I'd already be where I needed to be.

-

Those are goals along my road to infamy. 

Calumny? Perfidy? Audacity? I don't know,

and who the hell cares? To the side of this

room, another hungry guy is ripping at the

vending machine. They do this, these fine

medical folk. I often get here at, it seems,

their lunch or break times. Also nearby is

a Tom Collichio cafeteria. Pretty fancy for

a Scranton locale.

-

Cat-scratch Fever? Do they still treat that 

here? And need I be wary of that? Now some

old guy comes over and sits by me. This is true.

He's been waiting an hour and is a tad pissed

off. "I don't even know why I'm here today. I

get here an hour early too, Been sitting here

since 10, when they wanted me here for 11;

now is running past noon. God-damn them all.

I'm only here for a kidney check, and they just

did that last month too!"

-

I said maybe he should go to the window and

let them know again he's here. He said "Nah, 

I did that already, but all they said was 'Dr.

Kendall was running behind. Is that yours too?'

I said no, my doctor was Kapp. He said Oh.

-

Then it got funny. He started telling me about

his old age woes, and he said, 'You're still a

young man...you'll see. What are you, in your 

early 60's yet? I said I was 73. He looked funny,

saying, Really? You look like a young man yet.

I said, 'You should see.'