Trust me

I’m a writer who can’t be trusted
to sit in a doctor’s office after my second covid shot
I watch like a writer
I listen like a writer
I take note.

An elderly woman parks her walker next to the vinyl chair
The nurse reaches to help her
The woman says, “I’m fine. I just have this for-“
“Security?” the nurse guesses and the woman agrees
“Security.”

A nurse grabs a syringe from the counter
“I like this one better now,” she says
Another nurse agrees and they laugh
“Well we get used to what we have, I guess.”
and they turn around to help the next in line

Voices from each side of the room filter in
“Hi my name is. . . I’m one of the nurses here.”
“I’m going to give you your second shot…”
“How did your first shot go?”
“You might have a little more of a reaction this time…”
“It’s normal. Chills, body aches – that’s your immune system responding…””
“Do you have an arm preference?”

A man in his eighties works to pull up his blue and black flannel shirt sleeve
as he is ushered to a chair to wait his 15 minutes
“Can I wait in the waiting room with my wife?” he asks
They agree, remind him to wait 15 minutes before leaving
“He’s going to wait with his wife,” the nurse explains to someone at the door
And it makes me feel sad to watch him still struggling with this flannel shirt sleeve, walking to sit with his wife

The two nurses are talking again
“This time is better” one says, “my back isn’t killing me this time”
“I didn’t think I could make it through the last super Saturday. All that bending.”
“I thought I might have to try it sitting down.”
“That kid behind us was sitting down”
“Well, I can’t kneel. I’m not going on my knees.”
“No. Not my knees.”

My 15 minutes are up and I walk out
I see the man in his blue flannel shirt walk to his car with his wife
I wonder if his wife is already vaccinated, or will be soon
What was that he said about why his wife came with him?
And it’s not until later do I realize there’s no way they waited their 15 minutes
and I hope he’s okay