She's 80. Her
husband is 89. He travels slowly these days. That's because he uses
either a cane or a walker, depending upon the situation. She, not as
encumbered, does a lot of waiting for him. She's OK with that.
They're in love and there isn't a doubt in the world that he'd do the
same if the situation was reversed. The other day, they traveled to the
Veterans Administration Hospital in Jamaica Plain. The husband, Bill
- a Bronze Star World War II vet - was having a procedure done on his
eye. His appointment was at 10:30.
They live on the
South Shore. Bill, with infirmities of leg and eye, isn't able to
drive himself these days. There isn't any easy public transportation option. Bill's daughter sometimes does the driving; other times, Connie - Bill's wife - handles it. It's a somewhat long drive, through both
expressway and city traffic. She doesn't enjoy the drive, but she does what's needed. As I say, they're in love.
Connie is my mom.
Bill is my stepfather. Since I was otherwise unengaged, I
volunteered to take the driving off of my mother's hands. I used to
drive cab in Boston. City driving doesn't bother me.
We arrived
on-schedule, but then we waited. Apparently, this is standard
procedure. Get there when they tell you, then park it in a waiting
room. When they call your name, travel to another waiting room down
the hall. Wait there until you're called again.
Around noon, Bill
was seen by a doctor. After that, we went back to the second waiting
room. We sat until another doctor came and took care of Bill. Then we
drove back to the South Shore. I'd estimate time spent with medical
personnel at 45 minutes, tops; maybe an additional 15 minutes doing
paperwork, so call it a productive hour. With his walker, Bill
travels slowly. I'll be generous and say it took him a half-hour
overall to get from place to place. Waiting time? At least two hours.
We didn't hit the road again until 2:00pm.
Let me be clear. The
people at the VA were great. Everybody had a smile and a kind word.
The doctors were patient, answered questions thoroughly, and appeared
to be doing everything in their power to keep it moving
expeditiously. Other staff members were cheerful and accommodating.
So, nothing personal, but why in hell did we cool our heels for so
long? Why schedule some poor soul for 10:30 when he won't actually
see a doctor until noon?
Putting that aside
for now, I can truthfully say my own time wasn't wasted. I got to see
something worth the wait. Everywhere I looked, there were veterans
with physical problems. You'd expect to see that at the VA. But what
touched me, and made my visit very worthwhile, were the healthy
people with them. Obviously family members, they were guiding the
blind; pushing the wheelchairs of those without capability to walk;
filling out paperwork for those with crippled hands; and otherwise
doing whatever else was needed, even if it was just waiting
patiently. It's never a waste of time to see love in action,
especially when given to those who, in many instances, made severe
sacrifices on our behalf.
So, I'm glad I did
the driving and my own time wasn't wasted. But, on behalf of the
vets, I've got to ask again: If a person isn't going to see a doctor
until noon, why is he scheduled at 10:30? If you have the answer, you're one up on me.
