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Where Time Stands Still
I'm sitting, bored stiff, in the waiting room. I've never been in this
place before, though it's larger than I would have imagined, having
driven past it on my daily drive. The staff walks around behind
counter, grabbing some paperwork, giving it to someone on the other
side to fill out. They don't hand me anything, as I'm not here for
their services. I walk across the waiting room, sit in a chair across
from a TV, and watch the Disney movie playing at the moment.
What is this place? It's named urgent care center. My friend crashed his bike on ice. I happened to be a block away, so I brought him here. The building is tucked inside a plaza, sharing space with a pediatric office.
I watch the movie, hoping time will go by. I haven't seen this movie in years. Unfortunately, the movie is almost over, and I fear it won't keep time moving for long. Scanning around the room, I notice that the office doesn't have the 'sanitary' smell I often associate with a health clinic. In fact, it doesn't have much of a smell, which I appreciate.
A kid starts crying in the background. He gets louder, complaining how it's boring. I can only agree with him. The credits are rolling on the movie, and some more people walk in. No one looks ill, but surely there's a reason to be in this place. No one would be here for the fun of it, I hope. The VHS stops playing, and the TV switches itself to a golf tournament. Time slows down, even slower than a crawl.
Watching a kid play on his Nintendo DS, I glance at the time. I've been in here an hour. It feels like it's been the whole afternoon. My friend is still in the waiting room with me. At least some of the people have been called back, but more have come to take their place in here. I worry for my health, since the flu is going around. Little I can do now, except to hope that my immune system is strong enough to take this abuse.
The clock slowly ticks by. I start examining the walls. The upper border is drawings of animals. A lot of the animal drawings look like they came from a picture book. The artist did a horrible job on the felines, looking as if a ten-year-old drew them. Then again, I don't know much more about the art than what I see. It's so boring in this place, critique is the only thing I can do. The lower half of the walls are painted a deep shade of purple, like their logo. It might have been an okay color in an actual business, but being a place with sick people, I would imagine a cheery color to be used.
And here I sit, waiting. The place where time stands still, children cry of boredom, and everyone wishes to be well and away from.
What is this place? It's named urgent care center. My friend crashed his bike on ice. I happened to be a block away, so I brought him here. The building is tucked inside a plaza, sharing space with a pediatric office.
I watch the movie, hoping time will go by. I haven't seen this movie in years. Unfortunately, the movie is almost over, and I fear it won't keep time moving for long. Scanning around the room, I notice that the office doesn't have the 'sanitary' smell I often associate with a health clinic. In fact, it doesn't have much of a smell, which I appreciate.
A kid starts crying in the background. He gets louder, complaining how it's boring. I can only agree with him. The credits are rolling on the movie, and some more people walk in. No one looks ill, but surely there's a reason to be in this place. No one would be here for the fun of it, I hope. The VHS stops playing, and the TV switches itself to a golf tournament. Time slows down, even slower than a crawl.
Watching a kid play on his Nintendo DS, I glance at the time. I've been in here an hour. It feels like it's been the whole afternoon. My friend is still in the waiting room with me. At least some of the people have been called back, but more have come to take their place in here. I worry for my health, since the flu is going around. Little I can do now, except to hope that my immune system is strong enough to take this abuse.
The clock slowly ticks by. I start examining the walls. The upper border is drawings of animals. A lot of the animal drawings look like they came from a picture book. The artist did a horrible job on the felines, looking as if a ten-year-old drew them. Then again, I don't know much more about the art than what I see. It's so boring in this place, critique is the only thing I can do. The lower half of the walls are painted a deep shade of purple, like their logo. It might have been an okay color in an actual business, but being a place with sick people, I would imagine a cheery color to be used.
And here I sit, waiting. The place where time stands still, children cry of boredom, and everyone wishes to be well and away from.
| Why did I choose this as my favorite piece? It
mostly has to do with I was actually experiancing the event as I was
writing, something I rarely do. Normally I write about an event later,
and details are left out. I actually typed the first draft out on my
phone, having nothing else to do there. It would have been my best piece, but I ran out of things to say about the place. If I stayed there longer, I would have been able to put more detail into this. However, staying there too long may have driven me crazy, so it's probably for the best that this stays as is. |
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