Interior home, mid morning. Calvin, snotty-nosed, plays listlessly in his jumper. Phone rings. It is the nurse's assistant from the pediatrician's office calling.
Nurse's assistant:
I'm calling to tell you that Calvin's throat culture came back negative for strep.
Me:
That's great.
Nurse's assistant:
Is he feeling better?
Me:
I think so, but he still has a runny nose and I kept him home from school again.
Nurse's assistant:
Is he still complaining about a sore throat?
Me:
Well, he's eight and he can't talk. But I think he's doing better. Thank you for your call.
Then I hang up and pause. With my head in my hands I think to myself, oh, if only my child could complain.
Nurse's assistant:
I'm calling to tell you that Calvin's throat culture came back negative for strep.
Me:
That's great.
Nurse's assistant:
Is he feeling better?
Me:
I think so, but he still has a runny nose and I kept him home from school again.
Nurse's assistant:
Is he still complaining about a sore throat?
Me:
Well, he's eight and he can't talk. But I think he's doing better. Thank you for your call.
Then I hang up and pause. With my head in my hands I think to myself, oh, if only my child could complain.
 |
| sick boy |
It's definitely one of the worst things -- the inability to truly communicate, at least in the superficial ways that we take for granted (their eyes, of course, telling a different, far more complex story).
ReplyDeleteThat's a precious photo. If only love could cure everything instantly; I have a hunch Calvin would be well on his way to recovery.
ReplyDeleteThose kinds of well-meaning pain in the ass comments can really turn a day southward fast. During my freshman year when I was deciding whether to have half of my right temporal lobe removed, literally two different people asked me if I was alright (maybe my once-a-week trips to Boston, bloodshot eyes, or piles of make up work in the 24-hour room at the library were giveaways). On both of these occasions I didn't really want to go into it and responded that I was just kind of stressed out about this or that paper. "You'll be fine, it's not brain surgery," they responded. Thanks.
ReplyDelete~Julianna
julianna, might have to use that one in a post, anonymously of course. xo
ReplyDeleteYeah for sure! Let me know if you want more detail--that is the bare-bones summary of my kind of shitty freshman year spring. :P I'm away this weekend (headed to the Galapagos!) but I can send you any revisions next week :)
ReplyDelete