Thursday, August 21, 2008

An ambulance ride


I got to ride in an ambulance today. I was sitting by the chemist counter, waiting for them to finally open at 11am. But the guy behind the counter really didn't want to put his "open for business" sign on the counter. Why? Because he knew he didn't have what I wanted. The day before when he didn't have the eye drops I needed, he'd assured me he would by this morning when I came back. He looked busy elsewhere as long as he could, but finally he put the sign out and I approached the counter.
Very sheepishly he told me they still didn't have new stock, but it would arrive in an hour. An hour? I'd already been sitting there thirty minutes. He told me I could go to the chemist counter at the hospital down the street and get what I needed.
I looked out the window and sighed. It was raining, and I'd have to walk.
"You have a vehicle, ma'am?"
"No."
"You will get there how?"
"Walking."
"Walking." It was at that moment he realized that, though he couldn't keep his word and provide the eye drops I needed, he could do something. He ordered the ambulance from the hospital to come and pick me up.
The ambulance came, and I rode the short distance to the hospital (we didn't use the sirens) to get some eye drops.

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