A Random Christmas Memory From An Almost Dead Man.

The last year I worked on Christmas Day I got paid time and a half to fill twelve prescriptions, seven of which were refills called in on the touch tone system with a requested ready time of the next day. My employer isn't always the sharpest knife in the drawer. I mostly worked on a reset of the pharmacy and even cleaned a thing or two, perhaps the last time I have ever cleaned anything at work. I did wait on a couple customers though, one of whom could not have been more Jewish if he had come straight from central casting.

"THEY HAVE YOU WORKING ON CHRISTMAS YOUNG MAN?" he shouted in an incredibly yiddish accent. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO DESERVE SUCH A FATE??"

"Fell out of love and got saddled with an alimony payment" I said. "Maybe with the holiday pay I can afford the good cat food." It was one of my better impromptu quips and we both shared a little chuckle.

"YOU'RE A YOUNG MAN AFTER MY OWN HEART!!" he said as he left.

"And you,...are a living stereotype" I thought to myself as he walked away. And chuckled again. It's not easy to chuckle when you're working on Christmas Day.

That was a few years ago. I forgot all about it until the doctor called this afternoon. Wanted to know the directions on the last morphine prescription that had been dispensed for him.

"I'll have to up that" said the doctor before he hung up. And shortly thereafter a lady was at the counter with an order for 20 milligrams of liquid morphine to be taken by mouth or under the tongue every hour as needed for pain or shortness of breath. Those of you in the professions know that means that'll probably be the last prescription he'll ever get.

Sigh.

He gave me a couple good chuckles on a Christmas Day when I worked for 8 hours and came home to an empty apartment. I don't know much else about him, but I just want to throw that into the Karmasphere.

And hope maybe the Karmasphere takes that into consideration when deciding what happens to him next.

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A Random Christmas Memory From An Almost Dead Man.

Reviewed by malaria
Published : 2009-12-19T01:35:00-08:00
Rating : 4.5