Today, me and another family member paid a visit to the dentist in my lovely neighborhood.
My dentist visit has always been quite unlike no other as I noticed that one of the patients waiting was a man with gold teeth and gold chains. Possibly an ex-convict? Who knows? Perhaps he was a current convict. But why bother find out...
My family member needed her dentures as well as her real teeth to be cleaned.
She asked: Doctor, these stains on my dentures just never go away even with the most expensive denture cleanser.
The Dentist replied: "Don't worry about, just take a knife and scrape the stains off. That's what I do.
She said: Oh but I don't want to break my dentures. I might break it.
He said: I am not telling you to stab it with a knife. (He starts to make these funny violent gestures as he pretended to stab the air). You want to stab, go on the main road and you see how they stab there!!!
I chuckled. Why the doctor is fully aware that he works in a neighborhood that is just not "good", and even knows the main road where most of the criminal activities occur. hehehee. hmmm.. Why am I chuckling? I live in this dump.... But hopefully not for long...
Another strange thing about the office, is that all the extra office supplies such as blank envelopes and stationary, were stored in the these makeshift shelves, all located in the toilet. I suppose when one is out of space, it's always best to maximize whatever current space is available. No?
The dentist then began cleaning the dentures with what looked like a kitchen knife.
While the dentist began this boring and tedious task, he and my family member struck up a long and funny conversation, probably just to amuse each other.
She said: Oh doctor, but why is it so stained. How do I stop it?
The dentist replied: It looks like you are having too much tea and coffee, and its staining the dentures too much.
She exclaimed: oh but I can't do without my tea and coffee.
As he scraped away more debris,
He replied: Then remove your dentures while you drink.
She said: hahahhah, I can't take out my teeth like that.
Dentist: hahhaha, that's true, then put more milk in your tea and coffee.
She said: But who wants to drink milky coffee and milky tea, plus I don't use milk. I use coffee creamer, because of my cholesterol problems.
Dentist laughs.
She said: What about this stain, it just never comes off.
Dentist replies: It's the way the plastic is, I can't do anything about it. But I have some stronger new dentures that in the future you can think about it.
She said: Strong dentures?
Dentist: Yes, look at this.
He removes one of the dentures on display and violently throws it on the floor.
"See it doesn't break"
"Wow! Ooooooooh....",
she exclaimed.The dentist picked up the dentures off the floor with an air of pride, probably because he admired himself at how he was successfully promoting these new dentures.
"How much are they?"
She asked.He replied: "2000 dollars".
She exclaimed: "aaaaahahahhh... I will think about it in the next 2 years when I get $2000"
As this banter continued, a patient waiting in the room, started to get very fidgety and shake its head. This patient was a walk in, and had no appointment. It kept getting increasingly agitated as it heard the conversation. Was this patient so dumb, that it did not realize that the dentist was busy scraping the dentures
WHILE he was talking? Of course, it was dumb, for it was simply yet another insignificant object that had wondered off these dirty streets into the office.
Then the dentist had finally finished scraping the dentures
and asked my family member:"Are you going to get your teeth cleaned as well".
She said: "Well I am here , aren't I? I may as well. But I hardly have any teeth, but clean it anyway"
Then they proceeded into the little dental room.
Again, this impatient patient started to shake its head, groan and appear as if it was going to die, simply because my family member needed her teeth cleaned.
Then it promptly pulled out its' cell phone and started yapping probably to a current convict (who knows these days) and said: "I still waiting for dat dentist. But somebady, be taking up allll da dentist's time. Somebody be taking up all da dentist time like dat".
It spoke loudly, bitterly and deliberately hoping that I would hear it.
Hmmm.. I thought to myself, this impatient patient, is not even grateful that its getting the entire dentist visit free of charge as it owned one of those magic cards that gives you free doctor's visit and a whole bunch of other free goodies. It seemed to believe that it was "privileged" and we should leave without getting complete services, even though we paid full fees and had appointments.
Or perhaps it just thought, that we paid full fees, just to chat with the dentist while he did no work on this family's member's teeth or dentures. Who knows how the ignorant thinks?
When the dentist was finished. My family member came out beaming, pleased that her teeth and dentures were clean for the dentist did a good job. She pulled out her hard-earned money from her purse, paid and left.
As we walked out,
I said: "Did you notice that nasty patient who just kept shaking its head, even though you were getting your dentures cleaned, as if you are not allowed to talk"
"What patient?"
she asked.I then described to her what I noticed.
After listening, then my mother replied:
Don't worry about that, just forgive her darling. forgive her...
Click here to play Video Diary
I apologize for this unflattering picture of Valri Bromfield. But I could not find any pictures of her, except this screen shot of her performance in the movie Needful Things. But its still a nice picture, full of emotion and makes her an even more interesting actor to watch.
