Don’t frighten me it makes me very angry.
Phone rings, I answer it.
‘Hello, may I speak to the parents of Tom Uphilldowndale please.’
‘Yes, this is Heather Uphilldowndale, speaking’
‘This is Flat Lands General Hospital here’
My stomach drops, my throat tightens, I snatch a breath; it is the phone call every parent dreads, a call from the local hospital about their child.
Flat Lands General is just around the corner from my sons school, the school where today he is either playing hockey or football; ohmygod, he must have been hit in the face by a hockey stick he must be in A+E, no wait he hasn’t got games today, it’s a ‘red Wednesday he doesn’t have games on red Wednesdays, oh no it’s chemistry today, something has happened in the chemistry lab, there must have been an accident, he has chemistry on a Tuesday, is it Tuesday? In a rising panic, I can’t think what day it is; in a few seconds, that seems like an eternity, these thoughts are running through my head.
‘I am ringing about Toms orthodontic appointment, we have had a referral from his dentist.’ says the voice.
(this referral, was over six months ago, no wonder it is not at the forefront of my thoughts)
My reply is more than a bit clipped and angry. ‘Please don’t do that; please tell me the reason you are ringing, don’t let me make an assumption that something has happened to my child, and that he is in hospital’
The caller laughs, ‘Oh yes, it is really funny, I like it when you ring parents up and they think something has happened to their child!’
‘Well I don’t think it is funny’
This jobs worth should get out more, if she finds alarming parents like this, ‘entertaining’; no on second thoughts don’t let her out; lock her in the stationary cupboard, she is bound to something to entertain her in there, and when she has finished painting her nails with Tipex and threading the paper clips together, she could eat drawing pins or some such. Just don’t let me near her; I get very angry when I have been frightened and I am not smiling.
Technorati Tags: Accident and emergency, orthodontics, children, hospital, parenting, NHS, School, Sports injuries
