I had to get my blood pulled yesterday (nothing out of the ordinary…cholesterol, b12, thyroid, etc, etc) I go to the blood lab — as an aside, this is the same lab that gave Kari her erroneous leukemia result. The waiting room is empty and two women are behind the counter. I walk up to the counter with my requisition form and my health card. The first woman is typing. The second is on the phone.
There’s a sign that says ‘Take a Number’.
The current number is 2.
I stand there, not taking a number because there’s no one else there. The one girl doesn’t bother looking up from her screen. Not a hello, not a ‘I’ll be with you in a moment’. Nothing. The other girl is on the phone. Hmmm. Starting to feel a little out of place now. So I start the conversation.
“How are you today?”
The girl typing ignores me. The girl on the phone smiles.
Okay, so that’s how it’s going to be.
A third girl comes up front. She also refuses to make eye contact with me. The phone-girl hangs up. The typing girl says to the new girl ‘We took a vote and we’ve decided that you’re not doing your fair share. We all have to come in 15 minutes early so you have to as well.’
“But my shift doesn’t start until 8.”
“We took a vote. We’re having to pick up your slack.”
I’m really uncomfortable now as I”m embroiled in their conflict. Yet I cannot sit down because I’ll look like a complete ass – like I don’t know what I’m doing.
A second guy walks in. He comes in behind me and takes a number.
No sooner had he taken that number that typing girl (henceforth known as Bitchy Girl) says ‘Number 2’ please.
So guy hands his number over.
“Are you kidding me?” I say.
The guy thinks I’m upset with him but tell him that it has nothing to do with him. He’s confused because he doesn’t realize he’s stepped into Bitch-girls world.
He’s now talking with Bitch girl but he puts number 2 back.
I take it because obviously, that’s her game.
“Number 2 please”.
Both me and dude are staring at her. WTF? Are you serious? You’re booting him out now?
“I can only take the person who is holding the number 2.”
“But he had number 2 because you wouldn’t see me without a number,” I say.
Guy says “There’s no one else here.”
“Sir, I can only handle one person at a time.”
We’ve stepped into the movie Brazil. It is finally decided that I will be 2, and he will be 2A.
“Please wait until we call your number,” she says again.
She waits for us to sit then: “2 is next.” I stand. “2A please.”
The pulling of the blood takes 30 seconds (I’m in room 3…because it must have some bearing on this, right?)
I meet the guy in the parking lot 1 minute later.
“Have a good day 2A.”
“Back at you, number 2.”