I sat in
the padded chair oddly feeling like I was a student who was in trouble.
I had a
meeting with the school counselor to set up schedules for next year, but her 9
o’clock meeting was running long. I sat in the outer office waiting for her
door to open. Even though the bell had
rung and classes were now in session, a steady stream of people still moved in
and out. After five minutes, the stream
fell to a trickle.
From where
I sat, I could see directly into the nurse’s office. Landon didn’t even notice me as he came into
the office and walked directly over to the nurse’s door.
“I need
some medicine. My mouth hurts.”
The nurse
looked up from her desk. “Do you have a
sore throat?”
“No, it’s
my mouth.”
“What about
your mouth?”
“My
braces. They hurt my mouth.”
Landon was
facing the nurse sitting at her desk, so I could see his profile. He had a sad, sad look on his face, and his
mouth hung slack, slightly open.
“Are your
braces irritating your gums?”
Now Landon
looked puzzled. “No. I just got them. They’re tight. They hurt my teeth.”
The nurse
stood and looked down at him. “Do you
want me to loosen them?”
Landon
dropped his mouth open and tilted his head up.
“Uh huh,” he said awkwardly looking up.
What in the world?
The nurse
was smiling now, and sympathetically patted Landon’s head.
“Sweetie, I
can’t loosen them. Your dentist wouldn’t
like it. But I can give you a Tylenol.”
Landon’s
face collapsed and he closed his mouth.
“OK,” he groaned.
I watched
the nurse get a Tylenol and a glass of water.
Landon tossed the pill in his mouth, drank the water, turned, and walked
out. I gave him my “S’up?” nod as he
walked out.
“Hi, Mrs.
Jones,” Landon said sadly. “My mouth
hurts.”
“Braces?” I
asked.
“Uh huh,”
Landon moaned. “They’re tight.”
“Yeah,” I
nodded sympathetically. “That
stinks. See you.”
I watched
Landon go out and turned back to see the nurse standing in her door. Her arms were folded and she was smiling.
“Really?” I
said. “Loosen the braces?”
Her
shoulders were shaking now. “I have to
get my laughs where I can.”
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