Finger Face

“Mom, I think I have strep and need to go to the doctor when I get off of work. Will you go with me?”

“Sure,” I said. I’m still not sure if she wanted me to go just to pay for the office visit or if she actually wanted my Mom influence. Either way, I was going to take the opportunity.

At the appointed hour, I got in my daughter’s car and she drove. Alyssa looked tired and a bit pale. She is really a tough girl, so when Alyssa says, “My throat hurts,” I know it must REALLY hurt.

We did not have to wait long to get into a room. First they took her height, weight and blood pressure. Then it was time for the long cotton swab test on the back of her throat. After that was finished, we had to w-a-i-t.

It was the normal wait…

I took pictures of Alyssa with my cell phone.

Alyssa told me I could not post pictures of her on my blog.

Alyssa told me to stop taking pictures of her.

I start sending the pictures I’ve already taken to her Dad and my mother.

Alyssa texts her friends and probably put a message on her Facebook too.

Finally, the doctor comes back in to tell us that Alyssa does not have strep and maybe she has mono. Alyssa freaks and the doctor laughs.

“I’m not accusing you of kissing anyone,” the doctor says to Alyssa. The doctor was still laughing.

Then the nurse comes into the room to take Alyssa’s blood. In order to avoid fainting, Alyssa leans back on the bed. Alyssa has her hand laying across her forehead and her eyes are closed. I couldn’t help myself. I started taking more pictures of her and then I sent them to her Dad and my mother. When my daughter goes to the doctor, I like to share the experience. (chuckling)

We had to w-a-i-t again.

Eventually, the doctor comes back to tell us that Alyssa does not have mono. So the doctor gives Alyssa a prescription for something to gargle with and another one for a strong, broad spectrum antibiotic that should get rid of the problems. The remaining blood sample will be tested and the office will call us back in four days with the results.

Next stop was to fill the prescriptions.

Neither Alyssa or I feel like “walking around” while the prescriptions are being filled, so we just sit and talk, text and I take pictures with my cell phone.

Alyssa gets tired of me taking pictures, so I decided to go back to my early Mommy years. I drew a face on my finger and said, “Look at my face. Isn’t it cute? Will you take a picture of it for me?”

“You want a picture of a three-eyed cyclops?” Alyssa asks.

“What?” I said squinting to see the tiny eyes I had drawn. I had forgotten my glasses, but I could just barely make out that I had double eyes on one side.

“Give me the pen and I will fix it,” Alyssa said smiling.

I gave Alyssa the pen and my finger and when she was finished, I looked at the corrected finger face.

“Oh my goodness! What have you done!” I exclaimed as I looked at a face with two big X’s as eyes.

Alyssa was laughing hard as she said, “It is dead now!”

While she kept laughing, I smeared off the terrible face and promptly drew another one. After I was satisfied that I had only drawn two eyes, I asked her to take another photo of my finger face and email it to me.

Time flew by for me as I sat talking and laughing with this wonderful human being. I love Alyssa so very much and am so thankful for all the moments we still spend together. Even sitting on hard chairs waiting for a prescription is enjoyable because of her sweet company.

So now I am home. I put on my glasses, opened my email, saved the photo and opened it to really see the face on my finger clearly for the first time.

Good grief!!! Obviously I did not wipe off all the X’s because the new face looks like it either has smeared eyeliner or cried while wearing mascara!

Now I understand Alyssa’s readiness to take the picture of the new finger face. It also explains her smile. I should have known better!