echoes ...

This excerpt is taken from ‘Echoes of Silence’.

I looked at the little white plastic bag which held my pills.
“Excuse me,” I said to the girl at the clinic where I had gone to see the doctor about a slight cold. “Excuse me, it says here I’m to take these pills 2 to 3 times a day. What does that mean? Do I take them twice or three times a day?”
“Oh,” she said, looking at me with surprised, “means you take three times. Better two times.”
“So I should take them twice a day?”
“No, no, three times. But better two times.” Her voice had risen slightly, laced with impatience.
“That’s right. So it means I take them twice a day.”
“No, three times. But better two times.” Her voice rose higher, surging with irritation.
“I’m sorry. I still don’t get you. Why should I take them three times when it‘s better to take them twice?” My own voice was rising.
“No, no,” she said loudly and slowly, for her voice by now was laden with contempt, “you see (pause) it says here (pause) two (pause) to three times. (long pause) That means (pause) you take three times (pause) but better (pause) you take two times!”……

……It was not until I was home and had made myself a cup of tea that I realized what the girl had meant: I should take one pill three times a day. But if and when I felt better (significant pause) I could reduce the frequency to twice a day…….

Don't know why I was so tickled when i read that ... Must be that I have been caught in a similar situation before; more than once, I should add.

Reminded me of the time when E started this blog... She MSN-ed (in a tone to suggest it was 'top secret') that the password was "what we do every Friday.."Obviously I took her word for it and keyed in "what we do every Friday" to sign in ... It didn't work so I ask her if it was joined and she said yes .. What ensued was embarrassing but it happened ...I keyed in "whatwedoeveryfriday" which didn't work either ....and there I was scratching my head and besides wondering why it didn't work, I wondered too why would she pick such a long password ....

Well, we all know the ending so I'll leave it at that ...


F