Okay, more Barry Manilow. And a story to go along with it, one that's 100% true I'm afraid.
I've always had a knack, or a curse, or whatever it is, for embarrassing myself. I'm the guy who will accidentally knock something over, or stumble and bump into someone, or move a chair and make it sound like a cat is stuck under it. I've been this way all my life, and I learned a long time ago that I couldn't change it or stop it so I needed to learn to make the best of it. And for the most part I'm okay about it now, although once in a while something happens that is so ridiculous that when I finally get alone I think 'Good Gravy! I can't believe I did that!'. Or worse.
I stick out like a sore thumb. I'm big and ugly. I look like a biker who is past it. Long hair down my back, a big beard, and although I can stand and walk for short amounts of time, I use a power wheelchair when I leave home. I can't go unnoticed as much as I wish I could. Again, I've had to learn to try to make the best of it.
Thursday I was at my cardio doctors' office. It's a huge place; two storeys, three or four big waiting rooms per floor, a row of pay windows, several labs of different sizes, EKG rooms, exam rooms, places for stress tests, all of that sort of thing. Ten or fifteen doctors practice there, and as many PAs and assistants, plus too many nurses and other staff members to count. I've been going there for years so I know a lot of them, at least by sight.
So I'm in my American Flag shirt (more on that soon) at the docs and sitting in my favorite waiting room. It's a smaller one that doesn't get used as much as the rest. There's no tv in it so it's quieter than the others, and I have a favorite spot in there right under a speaker in the ceiling. They usually have nice music going; Pop stuff mostly. It was quiet in there that morning, and I was in a lot of pain, so I was sitting there with my eyes closed just waiting and listening to the tunes.
Barry Manilow came on. The same song I'm posting here, which is one of my favorites by him. My eyes were shut, I was in my own little world, and at some point I joined in and started singing with him. Aloud. I don't know when exactly, but by the time we got to the first chorus I was locked in and keeping up with him.
We got to the second verse, and we were sounding great together. I
love the second verse! Just think about it; there is
so much going on there. 'And if I hold you, for the sake of all those times love made us lose our minds, could I ever let you gooooooooo?' I was nailing it! Never sounded better! Climbing up and off into the chorus again, just Barry and me. 'Looks like we ma...'.
And then I felt something beside me. I opened my eyes, and there was my main blood-drawing, protime-testing lady standing there looking at me and smiling. I looked around, and there must have been fifty people staring at me! Patients. Staff. A doctor. People looking around corners. People sticking their heads out of office doors. People I knew. People I didn't. And then most of them started clapping. Laughing. Smiling. One man saluted me (or my shirt). One patient gave me a thumbs up.
I had tears in my eyes. I felt so stupid. I could have died. I don't think I've ever been more embarrassed in my life. I wanted to crawl out of there. It was terrible. I tried to smile, but it was hard. I went and did my blood work, and by the time I came out of the lab everybody had gone back to whatever they had been doing. I hope they forgot the whole thing. But I never will.
I go back in a month and I'm dreading it.
Goldtop Lloyd
