Like Busses, nothing then three at once

Thunderthighs has inherited his father’s hair and my wisdom teeth and terror of dental treatment; the latter exacerbated by his autistic anxiety and shyness.

The hair is coming out of its own accord.  The teeth require a visit to the Dental Hospital for extraction under sedation.

His dentist made the referral a couple of months ago and within a few weeks he received a letter telling him to make a telephone consultation appointment with the Sedation department.

Of course it was down to me to do this, although I put the phone on loudspeaker so he could hear how it’s done.

The date was set and I emphasised to the clerk, a nice lady called Joyce, that this should be done on the landline number as “like his father he never has his mobile turned on.”

A letter arrived saying the appointment would be on a Friday morning at 11.30 but it might be anything up to two hours earlier or later.  So there was no knit’n’natter or going anywhere that morning.  Fortunately Ferretfingers goes out with Emil on Friday mornings:  he, and his humming and other interfering noises, would be out of the way.

The plan was again to put the phone on loudspeaker so he could talk and I could chip in if he froze or became tonguetied.

At 11.30 Thunderthighs came downstairs and loomed around.

At noon I asked whether his mobile was turned on, because it was Sod’s Law that the message hadn’t been passed on or gone unnoticed, or ignored (“but everybody uses smartphones these days” oh no we don’t).  He turned it on.

Still nothing at 1.30.  I phoned the number on the appointment confirmation letter and got the lovely Joyce again.  She remembered the original conversation, and putting a note on the file to use the landline number.  She said she would make enquiries and if we hadn’t been contacted by 2.15 we should ring again.

I told Thunderthighs to find out how to put his mobile onto loudspeaker as I had my doubts.

At about a quarter to two his mobile rang; it was the Sedation people.  He put the mobile on loudspeaker.  I explained I was his mother assisting him because of his autism, but he would answer as much as he could.

“So you will be accompanying him on the day?”

“Oh yes.”

Minutes later, while we were still on the phone, Ferretfingers and Emil returned and had to be greeted, hushed and farewelled as quickly and quietly as possible.

I was no sooner back with Thunderthighs and the phonecall than there was a hammering on the front door.  Ferretfingers was nearest, opened it and walked away.  Rather than find strangers walking into the house I went to the door, where I found two youngish women asking whether I was satisfied with our broadband speeds.

WTF!?!

I’m afraid they got rather short shrift, “I’m on the phone to the hospital here, I haven’t time for this” and the door shut on them.

I’m not normally that rude but sometimes the direct route is quickest.

Then went back to Thunderthighs and the phonecall, which was progressing perfectly well amidst it all.