really? seriously?

I went to see the shoulder manipulator today for a follow-up visit.

I'm healing right on schedule.

But this crazy thing happened while I was waiting an hour for my turn to wait in the exam room for 15 minutes to see the doc for six minutes.

I'm sitting in the waiting room--a big room with lots of seats for the patients of the ten or so doctors in the practice. They leave the double doors into the waiting room open--probably for the patients on crutches, right?

Anyway, I'm sitting there, reviewing for a test I planned to take later this afternoon, when I notice a guy come in and sit down near the open doors. He starts talking on his cell phone--loud enough so everyone can hear--and his side of the conversation goes something like this:

Hi, yeah, I'm waiting for her. The baby gets out of the hospital today. We'll be moving in the house tomorrow, but see that's the problem. We need a place to stay tonight. I mean, it would be different if the baby had to stay in the hospital another night, but I can't let a six-month-old sleep in the car. So we need $15 for formula and $25 for a room. Just $40. That's all. What? Well, we are. We're praying for a miracle. That's what we need. A miracle. I guess I'm just the worst husband and father in the world. Really? I can't let the baby sleep in the car. If it was just me, that would be okay.


By now, I'm reaching for my purse, my wallet.

And that's when the sullen male nurse called me back to see the doctor.

Almost immediately after the nurse closed the exam room door, I realized--I was almost scammed out of $40.


When I finished up my visit, I noticed the guy was gone. The seat he had been sitting in wasn't visible from the reception desk--a pillar blocked it from view.

And I'd bet $40 that one of the other ladies waiting to see one of the ten docs handed over whatever cash she had and felt good about helping out that poor man.

Wow. Who needs "Will work for food" signs when the pickens' are so easy in a comfortable air-conditioned doctors' office?