queuing

- Hello? Oh ! Elizabeth, I was thinking to call you and tell you to postpone the outing we should have together today afternoon.

- Yes! I am so sorry, dear, but I was forgetting to tell you that I have an appointment today , dear.

Yes! With the doctor that I had never seen before, but I guess I have told you about the appointment the week before, don’t you remember ? 

Well I am still feeling that I am short of breath, so I will go there have a check up, and maybe have some examinations for the sake of my health.

Yes, especially nowadays, when the whole world is going crazy because of the quarantine and all that stuff about the pandemia and the virus.

Do not worry : I will send you a message as soon as I arrive home! Bye dear ! – and I hung up the cellphone, looking for my purse, the keys of my car, and an umbrella – as the weather forecast it would rain this afternoon. 

Ready, I took my way and arrived to the doctor’s office in about fifteen minutes, as the traffic jam was not so heavy at three o’clock in the afternoon. 

So, I parked the car in a building nearby and realized it was too full of cars.

- Are there so many offices in these buildings ? - I thought.

And went to the building of the offices of the doctor, taking the elevator.

When I jumped out from the elevator, I saw a lot of people in a queue but I could not see the end of it.

So, I asked to an old man , coughing and wearing a hat.

- Excuse me, sir, but are you waiting for the doctor ? 

- Yes. All of us are. The secretary is going to arrive very soon, so we have to wait in here, in this corridor that looks like a reception - waiting- room.

I trembled, scared as I started to count the number of people that were waiting one, two three, four, five, six ….twenty ! 

What ? - I asked myself, trying not to fall in desperation.

- How about the doctor ? Is he coming ? – I asked to the old man, hoping to have a “ yes" as an answer.

- Who knows? I think he is coming – he answered to me coughing badly now, so, I tried to get a cup of warm water from the fountain near us.

I just tried.

Because the drinking fountain was not working.

It had no water, as I tried to push it several times.

I was watching him suffocating.

So my exasperation got bigger and bigger, as morning went there to help him.

My thoughts were the worst possibly: 

And if he faints ?

If he chokes ?.

What is going to happen? – still pushing the lever – but harder now, as my anxiety was growing.

As I had no results, I tried to call a man that was passing by, wearing that sort of uniforms that workers wear in those kind of old buildings. 

- Yes, madam!

- The drinking fountain is not working and there is a gentleman that is coughing so badly  that j think he needs some water…

- Well, madam, the drinking fountain is jig working, just I can get some mineral water from a bottle , so you can give him.

- oh ! Thank you! you are so kind ! – and I followed him, leaving my place.

He gave the bottle, a plastic cup and I went back to my.place. 

But, when I realized, there were one more person trying to get in the queue in my.place ! 

- Sorry, sir, but I went to get some water for the old man ,as he was coughing so badly! – looking for the old man in.the middle of my blond curls.

- Sorry, madam, but there is no old man in here – as the patients were looking at me.

That was true. 

The old coughing man had disappeared just in front of my eyes!

What happened to him? 

- He fainted, and the guard took him to the kitchen, to give him a bit of air and some water.

- Water? But I am bringing some water for him now!

- Sorry lady – and he let me stay in.my place, with my bottle of mineral water.

- Thank you ! – but, I started to think about the old man and his cough, and ask.myself: 

What can I do ? – wondering about possible solutions as going to the kitchen, leaving the queue going back home, call my dear friend for the previously scheduled outing .

But I had no magic wand and no automatic solutions, I thought I could do absolutely nothing , I opened the bottle and sip the water.

In the exact moment the old coughing man showed up in the corridor, brought by the guard.

I ran towards him, opening my way by force and pure strength.

When I got close to him I just asked: 

- Sir, are you ok? – worried. 

He did not answer me .

And he disappeared again, in the middle if the patients that were waiting for the doctor.

A bit discouraged of doing the right thing, I went to my place in the queue again.

And there were three more people ahead of me.

- No way ! – I said, sopping more water.

Suddenly a thunder burst into the air.

- It is rain! It is raining ! – I said, thinking about the umbrella I have left in the car.

But, fortunately, the secretary arrived in that exactly moment, making her way through the bunch of people gathered together. 

The people, md included, were anxious as everybody wants to he the first ti be attendee. 

She opened the door, and turned on the lights staying in the very entrance of the office.

And, suddenly, her cellphone rang. 

- Yes! Tell me doctor a!

Fine, I will explain this to the patients here. 

And the patients got curious about the phone call. 

- I am sorry to tell you – said the secretary , folding the phone and turning the lights off.

Nut the doctor asked me to tell you that he will.mot come today, because of the heavy rain that retarded all his surgeries, so he will not have time to come.

The old coughing man, showed up again.

Behind the secretary, with some keys in his hand.

As far as I could see and notice I think that he was closing the door with the keys.

-what? – I asked myself, trying to understand what was going on.

For sure, I decided to ask the man in front of me.

Me.w- who is that old coughing man behind the secretary? 

- Well, I saw him once, but he looks like being the doctor.

Danm! So… he was the doctor ?

And I left the building, mad and angry.

But I called my friend, and told her to have a nice cup of coffee, that she gladly agreeded.

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