Yesterday
was Election Day, and it reminded me that I had a memory of an
Election Day written up. Here it is.
1986
was not a presidential election year, so now I can't remember why I
was so intent on voting that particular November. Even though we had
only been in Oklahoma a few months, I knew where we were supposed to
vote – at the technical college just down Nowata Road from the
house we had rented when we first arrived.
I
had registered to vote, and on election day, with two-year-old Sarah
in hand and almost full-term Amanda gestating inside, we drove to the
community college and pulled into the lot in accordance with the
“Vote Here” sign. After parking, however, there were no more
signs. There were buildings, but which one had the voting
booths? There weren't people walking around with “I Voted”
stickers on – there certainly were not any lines of people
noticeably waiting to vote.
We
picked a building and walked inside. No one was about. What do do?
Ask a passer-by? Still no one about. Maybe if we opened a door and
asked – what is the worst that could happen for interrupting a
class?
Yeah,
well a lot can happen when a nine-months pregnant woman opens
the door to a nurses' class and politely asks for help!
The students went into a panic thinking that I was either in labor or
a plant sent to pretend I was in labor! I certainly got a lot of
attention that I didn't require and was barely able to ask my
question about where to go to vote!
When
they finally figured out why I was really there, they looked at me as
if I were crazy – if I was not in labor, what was I doing out and
looking for a voting booth?
Mental
note – pregnant women should not frighten poor innocents with
questions pertaining to the mundane!
A
few minutes later, Sarah and I were in the short line to vote in the
next building over.
Later
in the month, Sarah and I were goofing around in front of the
bathroom mirror at home when I tickled her sides and she fell from
the stool she was standing on and bumped her chin on the counter
biting a hole in her tongue with a tooth! Yeah, lots of guilt from me
and blood from her. We drove to the emergency room and.....
Yeah
you guessed it – everyone gathered around me, ready to take me to
delivery! It took a while to get through to everyone that there was a
two- year old at my side crying and bleeding with a hole in her
tongue.
Finally
they turned to help her but ultimately could not because once she was
asked, Sarah refused to open her mouth for the doctor and the nurse!
Even
though the attention is nice, actually listening to what she
wants rather than inundating her with hands and wheelchair would be
advisable, and for good measure, it is usually best to just get the
heck out of a pregnant lady's way!
308
20151104 Stealing the Limelight
No comments:
Post a Comment