Germ Warfare
Pacifying pummeling kids, warding off germ-bearers, grinning and bearing away the time, this mom swears that only signs of bubonic plague will induce her to darken the GP’s door again!
They don’t call it a waiting room for nothing. When I walk into my GP’s - two sick kids in tow—I shiver, knowing the endurance test that awaits. The room, lined on all sides by irritable-looking adults and hordes of (literally) snot-nosed children, is deceptively bright and cheery; its walls are papered with smiling clowns holding balloons. I look around for a seat, then settle for a speck of wall next to the magazines.
We amuse ourselves for the first five minutes by staring at everyone else in the room. There are the usual suspects: young mothers with newborns clutched close; curious, germ-laden toddlers strolling about; even a few slouching teenagers, scowling to hide their embarrassment. There are no toys or children’s books here to spread infection, just a rack of magazines for parents and a few more austere publications like Time, New Geographic, even a stray copy of Ramblers Monthly. I stare at it, thinking this doctor must have a strange sense of humor.