Rainy Day

We are in the beginning of the rainy season, which means we usually get an hour or two of rain every day. It has been dry for the last couple of days, but now we are making up for lost time.

Back to the dentist's office, and waiting. Most of my time is spent waiting while painful things happen to Deb. I don't want to trade places with her, but I do get bored. Fortunately,today was only impressions, and fitting of temp teeth. While her permanent teeth are being made, Deb will be wearing a set of temporary teeth for the next few days.

We pass the time by introducing ourselves to other patients. One older couple, Eddy and Norma, originally came from Cuba. Norma still breaks into Spanish when she isn't thinking about it. Eddy says, "English, Norma, English." and Norma gives him an impatient look that means that she knows, quit bothering her. Norma is the one supporting Eddy, as he gets dental work done. Eddy is waiting patiently while Norma frets that they have forgotten him. Then she is concerned that he won't get the good doctor. "Don't worry, Norma," Eddy pats her leg. "They know what they are doing."
He turns to me, "I am the one who is easy going. She frets about everything."
"Well someone has to take care of this." Norma says, "You don't worry about anything."
Eddy just pats her leg fondly.
As we talk, Eddy mentions that he was captured by the Cubans and rode to prison in a semi-trailer along with 150 other men, packed in like sardines. "Thirty or forty of them died. I rode to prison, sitting on a dead man."

Two other guys are also from Cuba. One of them was part of an evacuation that brought children and left their parents behind. He was seventeen when he set foot in America. They kept offering him welfare, and charity, but he just wanted to get a job and earn his own way.

Deb is having a tired day. We both have found that we come to a point where the constant stress of being in a different country seems to catch up with you. Today was that day. We both are feeling tired. Deb napped for three hours in the middle of the day, which she never does.