Fresh Adventures
Mission: Health Center
Megan Daily '12
Issue date: 3/25/09 Section: Distractions
I live in Gilliam. A mere two floors above the Health Center. I know these dorms are basically breeding grounds for diseases, fungus and other nasty stuff that scares me. But, I came prepared. Had my Daily Vitamins, Emergen-C, and Airbourne. And if came down to it, I would straight up snort orange peel. However, as John Steinbeck said, "The best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry." I got sick.
As I lay dying in bed with a fever and a cough, my roommate would look over and spray her side of the room with Lysol. I finally had to go to the Health Center. It was inevitable. So I half-fell out of my lofted bed and trudged down to the Health Center.
I had never gone down there before. I had heard tales of drunks being dragged down there and never escaping. I have also heard of epic escapes. I have witnessed friends being escorted down there by R.A.s. But I personally had never ventured down into the mysterious hall.
I went in and signed the pad of paper and sat down. I was feverish, so I sat down and tried to stay upright. One girl came in, signed in, and sat down on the opposite end of the room, and I was glad we maintained a safe distance from each other. Because through the haze, I could make out that one of her eyes was red, swollen, and crusty. All I could think was: "Great. Now I'll have a fever AND gross eyes."Getting a Homecoming Date was out of the question…
So both of us are just chilling down in the Health Center basking in the fluorescent lights, when another girl busts through the doors. She storms in and sits down. Pinkeye and I look at each other and exchange startled glances (well, I think she gave me a startled glance it was hard to tell through the conjunctivitis). We quietly sit all together, all spread out for maybe five minutes.
"Like, when do the nurses come?" said upset girl.
"They will get to us when they can" answered Pinkeye.
I just coughed.
"Where are you from?" asked frustrated sick girl to Pinkeye.
As I lay dying in bed with a fever and a cough, my roommate would look over and spray her side of the room with Lysol. I finally had to go to the Health Center. It was inevitable. So I half-fell out of my lofted bed and trudged down to the Health Center.
I had never gone down there before. I had heard tales of drunks being dragged down there and never escaping. I have also heard of epic escapes. I have witnessed friends being escorted down there by R.A.s. But I personally had never ventured down into the mysterious hall.
I went in and signed the pad of paper and sat down. I was feverish, so I sat down and tried to stay upright. One girl came in, signed in, and sat down on the opposite end of the room, and I was glad we maintained a safe distance from each other. Because through the haze, I could make out that one of her eyes was red, swollen, and crusty. All I could think was: "Great. Now I'll have a fever AND gross eyes."Getting a Homecoming Date was out of the question…
So both of us are just chilling down in the Health Center basking in the fluorescent lights, when another girl busts through the doors. She storms in and sits down. Pinkeye and I look at each other and exchange startled glances (well, I think she gave me a startled glance it was hard to tell through the conjunctivitis). We quietly sit all together, all spread out for maybe five minutes.
"Like, when do the nurses come?" said upset girl.
"They will get to us when they can" answered Pinkeye.
I just coughed.
"Where are you from?" asked frustrated sick girl to Pinkeye.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
C'mon
posted 4/01/09 @ 7:19 PM EST
Actually, Robert Burns said "the best laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley." Steinback alluded to the poem in the title of his novel. It would be awesome if that wildly innacurate quotation were the least of this article's problems. (Continued…)
Virginia Beach Movers
posted 5/27/09 @ 11:00 AM EST
Amusing story, I've never heard of people having to actually stay there overnight but I suppose that's a safer way to go than allowing you to go back to the dorm and infect other people. (Continued…)
Ildiko
posted 6/07/10 @ 10:21 AM EST
An interesting story, I like such literary sketches. The charm is that they don't need to be continued.
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