Once, when I was very poor, used to go for free treatment to a dental school. The quid pro quo was that you were treated by students under supervision. One morning I went in by appointment for an extraction to find a nervous-looking student as white as a sheet. ‘Is this your first extraction?’ I asked. ‘Yes’ he croaked. God gave me a moment of grace because I heard myself say in an upbeat way: ‘I am sure you will do splendidly.’ With that he relaxed – and with a remarkable amount of tugging the tooth came out. There was no pain. However, over the next two days the extraction site continued to bleed, and when I returned to the hospital for help they were alarmed and said they would test me for leukaemia. Goodness, I thought, this must be something high-tech. Turned out they just slashed my thumb and timed the clotting. Normal, they said, and then packed something into the hole where my tooth had been to stop the bleeding. I went home thinking how odd the whole thing had been.
Epic comedy! I laugh myself silly whenever I watch this (or anything from the Carol Burnett show).,
Once, when I was very poor, used to go for free treatment to a dental school. The quid pro quo was that you were treated by students under supervision. One morning I went in by appointment for an extraction to find a nervous-looking student as white as a sheet. ‘Is this your first extraction?’ I asked. ‘Yes’ he croaked. God gave me a moment of grace because I heard myself say in an upbeat way: ‘I am sure you will do splendidly.’ With that he relaxed – and with a remarkable amount of tugging the tooth came out. There was no pain. However, over the next two days the extraction site continued to bleed, and when I returned to the hospital for help they were alarmed and said they would test me for leukaemia. Goodness, I thought, this must be something high-tech. Turned out they just slashed my thumb and timed the clotting. Normal, they said, and then packed something into the hole where my tooth had been to stop the bleeding. I went home thinking how odd the whole thing had been.
Two of the all-time best!