Nasty Habits

I went to the doctor today for a pain I’ve had in my lower back since I was pregnant.

Of course, since it is a doctor’s office, they had me sitting there for more than an hour past my appointment time.  So, while I’m sitting there, this woman comes in and proceeds to infect the joint with her hacking cough.

Mind you, I am already suffering from a cold which my husband gave to my son, who then gifted it to me.

When you live with someone it’s hard to keep your germs from spreading to them, but you can try to minimize spreading it–especially to the rest of the world!

This woman was coughing like her intestines were going to come out of her mouth, and not once–not once–did she cover her cough.

I felt trapped.  Where was I going to go?  I’d spent months waiting on that appointment, paid bus fare and subway fare to get there, and I could not let that lady run me out.

It took all I had in me not to say something to her.  I wanted to tell her to cover up her mouth, but after 20 minutes of her carrying on, I wouldn’t have been very diplomatic.

All I could think about was carrying home to my son whatever germ she was hacking up. Let me tell you, ain’t nobody got time for that!

People can be so nasty!  She could’ve coughed into her coat.  She could’ve coughed onto her elbow.  She could’ve asked for some tissue and coughed into that.  Nope! After all, caring is sharing.

As much as I wanted to give that woman a piece of my mind,  I wondered if perhaps she didn’t know any better.  Immediately, I started looking around the room for this ad:

 

I’ve seen this ad at every doctor’s office I’ve been to.  We were after all in a doctor’s office.  That ad had to be somewhere in the room, and I could alert her attention to it.

Just my luck, it was nowhere to be found.  Helpless, I covered up my nose and mouth with my scarf, and hoped my glasses would protect my eyes.

At that point she looked at me.  I gave her the stank eye.

The next time she coughed, she lazily pulled the collar of her coat to cover up her mouth.  She only really covered the side of her chin, but that told me she knew better.  She just didn’t care.

The cough after that…just as open and free as the first.

I tightened my scarf around my face and decided some people are just nasty.