get @baffled

Quick to Judge

A Cautionary Tale…

In the waiting room at the doctor’s office he discovered that it was prenatal clinic day. The best clue was the fact that the waiting room was full of very pregnant women. Some of the prospective dads tagged along as well. Another discovery: not only was it prenatal clinic day, it was hillbilly day at the prenatal clinic. The evidence: a giant of a man, bald but with a long beard, wearing nothing but denim overalls and work boots; his diminutive domestic partner in the frumpiest frock this side of a flea market and sporting less than the full complement of teeth. We were treated to a view of his considerable torso, covered in a variety of intricate but appalling tattoos. She had only slightly more hair on her head than he did, and she had tried to make the most of it.

The good news was that this unlikely couple was actually attending the prenatal clinic and getting some proper medical care. Many do not. They appeared so out of place, however, that it was hard to stop looking at them. Everyone in the waiting room, everyone, was staring at them with the same fascination as a child staring at an amputee.

This was one of those experiences that can wander into your day from time to time. It was the height of rudeness for him to stare at them, but stare he did. Judgments are made pretty quickly. He had to say that that isn’t a good thing at all.