The following happened today, no embellishments…
I woke up and walked our dog, Matty. My left foot hurt a little, but I didn’t think much about it. In due course, I showered. While I dried my foot, I found the reason my foot hurt–my left big toe was red around the nail. Red doesn’t describe it; my toe looked angry. I touched it and, yes this is a little gross, puss oozed out.
Time to see the doctor. I called a podiatrist near my house, and they don’t take my insurance, one of the most popular insurance companies in the area. I called my GP and they fit me in at 2:15. I ended up with a prescription for antibiotics.
When I left the doctor’s office, I missed the turn to go to the pharmacy. Instead, I was heading toward Starbucks, but it was a little out of my way. I grabbed a Mocha because the pharmacy has never filled prescriptions right away.
So now, I’m on the way to pharmacy, for real this time. I doubt the prescriptions are filled yet, so I filled up the car. I go to start it, and nothing but a crunching sound. I walked ten yards over to the repair shop, and they test and replace my battery.
After all of this, I reprogrammed my radio presets. Then, I pickup my prescription and went home. While I wrote this, I soaked my toe/foot.
What a ridiculous day.
Now if I wrote all this for a character in one day, no one would believe. Forgetting the dullness, the improbability of events bordered on the unbelievable. First, from out of nowhere, I have the beginnings of an ingrown toenail. Second, the doctor I wanted to see doesn’t take my insurance, though it was very common. Third, I managed to get a same-day appointment. Fourth, my battery dies. Fifth, it dies at the service station. There’s a barrelful of bad luck, and one incredible moment of good luck in this day.
While true, it’s completely unbelievable!
I’m an author living in northern Virginia with a wife and a cat. In the late ’80s, I worked on the International Space Station project. I recently retired from managing a group of software engineers to focus on writing science fiction and speculative fiction. Learn more.