...driving Mz Ybee...

...a friend of mine, fellow singer, has to go to Ahnoldtown every so often...unfortunately, not for fun [see a show, bet the ponies, etc...]....no, she has to get a "shot" in one of eyes [NOT my idea of fun at all...]...so it's understandable that she needs a driver to shepherd her to and fro.... I started doing this last February, and coming home, that 1st time, we got into a fender bender [NOT a good beginning...]
....In my defense, I will say that my insurance company refunded EVERY PENNY of my deductible,[that's never happened before...Yay, 21st Insurance !] ...so I must have not been "at fault" [I didn't think I was anyway, but I digress...]
....During the 10 months I've been doing this, I've taken a "short cut" and gotten lost in suburbia ["circleland"], taken the wrong exit several times [ending up in the right place anyway : )...] and have discovered a "better route" by happy accident...
.... So today, after we arrive at the PRD, [Peoples Republic of Davis] Med Center in downtown Ahnoldtown, we must find a place to park in the "structure" for that purpose...[ they used to be called 'parking garages' before a sliding state pay scale made "structure" a better choice to score big contract $$$ ].... after playing chicken on a dimly-lit ramp, with an SUV the size of Rhode Island, we find a 'spot' on the 2nd floor and attempt to fit in... my car's a Honda Accord, the problem[s] are with the SUVs the general sizes of Montana and Texas I'm trying to fit in between [and still be able to open our doors to get out after parking, going out through the sun roof is NOT an option for me...]
.... After much more effort than necessary, we are finally on our way to the elevator for a 1 story trip down...I know, we could take the stairs, but then we would be taking our lives in our hands, crossing the view-obstructed ramp area and walking away from our eventual destination...
....So, we arrive at the elevator door, press "down" and we wait.... for the car to arrive,[takes a while...].....for the door to open [s-l-o-w-l-y]... for the occupants to walk or hobble out [ it IS a Med Center, people have 'issues' and I'm OK with that ] .... for the door to close [s-l-o-w-l-y]... then, the car moves down all of 15 feet [this takes at least 20 seconds, seems like forever ] ...the door opens [all together,now...] s-l-o-w-l-y...we disembark and head for the main building...
....After walking about 100 yards or so, we do the aforementioned, 'elevator shuffle', AGAIN ! , complicated by the fact that this is a bank of cars and everyone is scrambling when the lights go on, indicating a car... and... this one is slower, because there are more people waiting to go more places, it takes a while to load... [sigh]
....When we finally arrive in the Drs area, Mz Ybee always checks the "wait time" posted for each Dr....today, her Dr was "running" [why do they say 'running when they are 'way' behind ? ] 2 hours behind [almost on time for him...] Joy, Rapture, Bliss...
....I spend a pleasant rest of the morning [and into the afternoon], lounging in the coffee shop, drinking coffee and reading [when I'm not 'people watching']...
.... Sometime after 1 PM [we arrived at 9:30 AM...] Mz Ybee emerges and arrives at my table, "cool" in her 'shades', but today, in obvious discomfort from the shot [grousing is "normal-speak' for her, but this is different....] if the ministering Dr is 'good' then the shot doesn't hurt too much, [remember, it's IN the eye...] then she's smiling, laughing and relieved it's over... today, it was Dr 'Attilla the Hun',who was not only ham-fisted, he just didn't really seem to care much that he was hurting her, so she's not only in the most pain I've seen yet, she is pissed !...
....The prospect of lunch ,[a rather large, yummy-looking, hot dog,w/kraut & mustard, and a side of fries], do bring a smile to her face, but it is 'fleeting'...already afflicted with the 'sniffles' , she now has burning, teary eyes, as well as a runny nose to deal with...so it's chomp, sniff, sniff, honk, chomp, chomp," sniff, honk, etc, interspersed with nasty words for Dr "A t H", for the duration of lunch...
....After the meal, we're getting ready to leave, but wait ! ...she can't find her 'state-issued' special dark plastic 'lenses' to put behind the shades[after the shot, total darkness=less pain...] and she's mad at herself because ,"I just had them "....so we empty the back pack, [did I mention that she can't see much in this state ?], eventually finding said special plastic lenses and proceed to the car [see above for elevator sequence, which is repeated, AGAIN...]...
....As we leave the 'structure', there is a detour, so we have to go on a brief 'round-a-bout' tour of the PRD Med Center parking 'area', but finally find our way out and are headed home...as I'm executing a lane change, a couple of cars decide to see if I want to play, 'we'll hang in your blind spot so you can't change lanes', [did I mention that to avoid 'light' and pain", Mz Ybee now has her coat over her head,{looking like Cousin it, without the hat }, and I can't see around her ?], just then, a sheriff's car goes by on the other side, lights, siren, the whole bit, distracting me even more, but , I manage to see around Mz Ybee [coat and all], complete my lane change, avoid getting hit and am now entering 99, going south... south is good, 99 , not so much....[ I meant to continue over to 5...] but we can deal with adversity, just please, no more distractions...
....So we meander back to Mudville, [over the river...], with Mz Ybee trying to be understood in "Cousin It" mode and me "uh,huh-ing" a lot when I've already said,"what was that ?" an embarrassing number of times.... and eventually, we arrive at Mz Ybees' just after 3 PM .....emerging from the coat/hood and having had much more than "enough", she says, "I'm going to take a nap, see you later..." and disappears into her house...
....I drive to the store for "stuff for soup" [ lentil, tomorrow, with sausage and kale...], then it's home .....leaving me with a new sympathy for those who drive a daily commute as well as those who get shots in their eyes...