Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Oh well.

I went to a grocery store at lunch today to scan the aisles for otc products to fix my various chemotherapy complaints. I needed something for my hands and feet, which are cracked and painful. I needed an alcohol-free mouthwash for the sores in my mouth.

The woman who rang up my items asked: Did you find everything you need, Mr. Price?

I drove back to work, and was hailed in the parking lot by a woman whose name and position I don' t know. She told me that she hadn't known that I was sick until I started wearing a hat.

She asked me if I was going to be okay, and she asked for my prognosis.

I told her that I wasn't going to be okay, and that I was terminally ill. She gasped. I told her to be careful about asking for prognoses. I walked away mad.

She called after me, and wanted to know if she could give me a hug. I told her I was good.

Why the hell would a woman I don' t know ask me for my prognosis in a parking lot? What was I supposed to say? Should I lie, or speak in vagaries, or tell the truth? For fuck's sake. It's not fair.

It's not fair that I have cancer, and it's not fair that my cuticles look like they've been buffed with sandpaper, and it's not fair that eating and drinking is painful, and it's not fair that I'm cornered in a parking lots by well intentioned and poorly mannered dimwits.

Just a cranky day, I guess. I'll work on a better mood tomorrow.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

jesus. i am of the (oft-ridiculed) belief that most people are profoundly, irrevocably stupid. by stupid i mean clueless, insensitive, culturally numbed and bone-crushingly toxic. sorry if that sounds harsh. but god, martha, for some reason they keep a-crawlin' all over you. who cares if the intention is good? it's all in the delivery, and the delivery just isn't up to par.
tom's of maine mouthwash is alcohol free, by the way.

Martha said...

Now why would that sound harsh? ;)

There's nothing "good" for people to say except "I'm sorry you're sick", or "that suuuuuuuuucks", but for some reason most folks can't leave it at that.

Honestly, most of it makes me laugh. But I was in no mood to be making parking lot revelations yesterday. Ultimately, it's the only part of being bald that is truly bad: I've been outted. Folks in Berkeley might peg me for a Buddhist, but that doesn't fly in San Lorenzo, CA.