Entertaining Myself

 I recall well Dad's retirement, brief as it was. Each day he would have errands to run, and somehow he made them fun -- chatting with people he would meet, causing riots at the Publix bakery based on false rumors of free rye breads to the first 10 customers, etc...

Well, I am nothing if not his son, and likewise find the mundane entertaining -- like today.

I had an appointment at Baptist Medical Complex, with my charming South African born glaucoma doc. He checks me every 6 months to make sure my eye pressure is acceptable. The appointments are staggered with his partner the retina guy, who makes sure his laser repair of my horseshoe tear is ok. Ah...aging.

I arrived as usual around 730, but something had changed. Instead of the line for the elevators, there were 3 security guards running the show. They asked my floor, and I told them 4. "Nope -- gotta wait until 8am when they open." Ok, fine.

But then an older lady in a walker came -- and said she was going to 5, which happens to be another floor for the print money eye docs. She motioned me, and I lied that I indeed needed floor 5. The elevator let us off there, and my new partner in crime explained that if you did this, and then walked down to 4, you got there before the "hordes" who rushed in at 8.

Her name was Nicki, and we became fast friends, as I imagine people do who bust out of jail together. We made our way to the stairs, and I offered to hold her walker and purse while she held on for the descent. And then -- the door was LOCKED! Oh no, Nikki -- we were screwed. Not yet -- a few bangs on the door, and a fellow let us in, gently scolding us to wait until 8 next time. He left out "You seniors can be SO sneaky!"

So we chatted. Her husband had died last year -- he was a highly decorated Metro cop. I actually knew some mutual friends, and that made her smile -- especially Fred, who is Fred Taylor, the long time chief, who I work with as a security consultant. Nikki got a call -- her granddaughter checking up on her. She lives in Midtown -- these are an old school Miami family. I later learned Nikki's daughter had died young, too.

At 8, I got up and held Nikki's spot. She checked in -- we were both seeing Dr. Brink. The PAs all knew Nikki and adored her -- and she introduced me to her new friend Dave, and what a gentleman I was! So I guess if I need to, I can make it with the octegenarians...

Nikki went in, and soon I was called in. I decided to surprise Dr. Brink with some SA slang, and greeted him with HOWZITT -- the local J Berg greeting. He loved it. He introduced his "medical student," a third year at FIU, who, Dr. B happily explained, was from Capetown.

She was also shockingly beautiful -- Halle Berry could have been her mother. She knew the HOWZITT, too, and laughed.

Dr. B said to her "Well, opthamology is great, but tough to get in. But I guess not TOO tough -- they took me." Yeah, right. Handsome, charming, and self deprecating. Dude's sort of a Tom Brady of medicine.

He told me I was lucky that my dominant eye was the one that saw distance better -- I can do without contacts or glasses for the first time since college. He said if (when) I get cataract surgery, to remind him or whoever does it of that fact -- he said I'd get a great result. 

Terrific -- something to look forward to.

I wished the gorgeous FIU med student luck, and thought that in a few years, any program director either a straight man or gay woman will think it was Christmas in July.

Ay -- I am such a viejo verde, as the Cubans say.

Tonight, Joelle and Kenny are coming over for some UberEat-in Indian food. Wifey wants to watch the Heat, though I think it will be their last game in a still improbably great season.

Ya gotta make your own fun wherever you are...