She Could Use A Change of Scenery

I have an appointment at the doctor’s, and since I haven’t been there before, I leave quite early. The building is located beside a twisting road — imagine a piece of string coiled around on the floor and you get a good idea of what it looks like — along with numerous car parks and a few other buildings scattered around. It is quite a difficult place to navigate, especially if you don’t know the area. I enter a formal-looking building beside the final car park. The entrance is very small, with only two or three padded chairs.

Me: “Hi, is this the clinic?”

Receptionist: “Yes. Take a seat.”

I do. I take my phone out and play with it. After fifteen minutes, the receptionist calls out again.

Receptionist: “This isn’t the clinic.”

Me: *Surprised* “Sorry?”

Receptionist: “Do you see any medical posters? Or a pristine, polished floor?”

She begins to act as if she’s speaking to a child.

Receptionist: “If you go out the door and up the road, and turn left, you’ll see a big, big sign that tells you where the clinic really is. Maybe you should learn to read.”

She went through a nearby door and I left the building. When I exited, I saw a giant green sign outside of the door stating that I had been inside of an accounting office. I followed the receptionist’s directions and found the clinic, where I barely made my appointment. I told the doctor about this and he said that a lot of people, sometimes up to five people a day, made the same mistake as I do, although this was the first time anyone had been lied to. When I visited the office again, I was told that the receptionist had a very complicated job and essentially had to sit and stare into space for hours on end or spend that time sitting at a shredder with absolutely nothing else to do. On top of several people a day coming to the office under the impression that it was the clinic, no wonder she snapped.