The Chair

“Neglect & Regret are more than just rhyming words … you neglect only to regret …” – Padmaja**.

Happened to me just this week. Neglected and neglected and regretting it at leisure. There I was sending a mail to my boss asking for half day off for the next day – and hoping against hope that it will not be approved – but then no reply means deemed accepted. Next day, geared myself for the inevitable and walked at a slow pace just to delay it some more. Went to the ATM, its an expensive affair you see – but more to kill time than anything else. Well, finally I found myself in front of the building. Willed myself to go inside – but actually heart of hearts I wanted to run away somewhere. Dot on the time – heard my name and went in. Very cordially invited inside as if I am going for a party and courteously asked to take the chair. The first thing that crossed my mind as I sat there still looking for an escape route was the shape of the chair itself. Why is it designed like a swimming pool / beach lounge chair? Do they want us to think that we are actually in a very different place? Sitting on the chair with myriad thoughts about all the beaches, the light was suddenly switched on my face – bringing me back to reality on the actual chair that I was sitting on - the Dentist’s Chair.

The first question was about breakfast, make me wonder if and when I would have my next good meal. Then the mandatory x-ray – a rocket launcher type was thrust on my cheek with some film inside the mouth – oh how horrible, some whirring sound and a welcome announcement that its done – Oh just the x-ray nothing else. Then the procedure began full fledge. First the anesthesia – my mouth felt as if I just had a stroke – gosh – it felt twisted and bloated. I have a big mouth is a given but to keep it open for one and half hours is no joke – believe me. There were 2 of them – the docs I mean - talking to each other on everything under the sun including things about Yeddy and Reddy (Yediyurappa and YSR – CMs of Ktaka and Hyd respectively). The way they were talking made me wonder how Yeddy and Reddy could’ve been their childhood friends. They veered to other not-so-pleasant topics as well – the mishaps of the docs on the OT – oh my god, I just closed my eyes. Not only because of the bright harsh light but also because I wanted to imagine myself in a far off nice place. I did not contribute to any of the conversation as there was no place for the classic foot in the mouth – no place in the mouth you see – it was filled with couple of instruments and hands. Funny noises, even funnier weapons – who says weapons of mass destruction can be found in Iraq – me says, they can be found in every dentist’s clinic. Had heard that RCT (root canal treatment) takes some time – but such a long time – me was sitting there and thinking what the doc was doing. Scrapping the canal or digging it right through to the brain?

After quite a while – one hour and thirty minutes to be precise – the doc declared that mine was a very complicated case with 3 canals in the same tooth. What the ….? Till now, I was blissfully happy that I am a very normal person – this notion was shattered to pieces by the doc’s declaration. Atleast dentally I don’t seem to be normal – otherwise – really dunno!!! At the end of it, the doc thanked me – can you believe – he thanked me. And me had a BIG question – was it because he got a unique first time experience through my case or was it because I shut up inspite of my mouth being wide open?

** Padmaja is one of my colleagues