I have been getting over a bad case of upper resperatory infection and it kicked up a memory of one of the few times I did imfirmary duty as a fourth phaser. In the old Morgan Yacht building, they made a makeshift clinic of sorts up in the old loft that used to house old sailcloth. This one particular Open Meeting, I got pulled aside to check up on a person who was sick up there with the stomach flu. It turned out to be a girl.
Her name was Judy Spargo. She was ordinary in every way. Never acted out in group, cried on cue, wanted to go home, was sorry for all that she put her family through, the perfect straightling. She was sick as a dog and the bottom line was, that none off the asshole bitches on the girls side wanted to empty and clean out her barf bucket. I was tapped with the honors. I was really apprehensive climbing the steps to the loft to look in on her. There was a pitcher of water and a glass next to the bed she lay on. At the sound of my footsteps she opened her eyes. They were beautiful, deep green like a trout, or maybe a mermaid. She had a sheen of sweat all over, yet it was Mid September and the outside temp was only around 72 degrees. I made my introductions and told her I wanted to feel her neck and forehead for fever. She took a sip of water and nodded yes. I placed the back of my hand against the side of her neck. She was burning up. Her forehead was hot as well. I asked her when was the last time she had any aspirin. It had been over six hours. I decided to try to get a thermometer to take her temperature so that my being there would seem "official" and that no one would accuse me of anything. I grabbed her barf bucket which had a bit of evidence in it and proceeded down the stairs with it. After rinsing it out in the sink in the kitchen, I went up the main desk and had a staff member get me a thermometer. Halfway up the stairs to the loft, I felt the vibrations of someone coming up the stairs behind me. It was none other than Wanda Minton. "Are you here to induce vomiting?" I asked her, "Cause you are a little late for that." She is burning up, and I am going to take her temperature now, seeing how all the girls were too busy worrying about getting their hands dirty." I placed the thermometer in Judy's mouth and sat there enraptured by the quiet beauty of her suffering while Wanda stood there fuming in defeat. When I pulled it from her mouth, it read 102.3 degrees.
This girl really should have been in a damn hospital at the time. I went back down the steps of the loft and filled a bowl with some ice. I came back up and as the open meeting progressed, I kept placing icepacks on the sides of her neck and forehead. There were some girl jerks acting up that took Wanda's attention away, so I was left on my own. The open Meeting had got to the stage where it is just the mic being passed from one parent to another, and Judy lolled off to sleep. I just sat next to her and read from her M.I. book and learned what the program was like from the female perspective. I became lost in the pages and then something big must have happened in the meeting because there was a whole lot of clapping and stuff. Judy began to stir, and so I guiltily put the M.I. book back where she had left it, and nonchalantly turned away from her in time to see Marnie Sykes standing at the top of the stairs. She must have been there the whole time. I was scared shitless. "What did she see?" "What would she think of me putting my hands on a girl?" "Was I gonna get started over now?" All I can say is that my 5th phase only lasted 27 days. That may very well be a record. Within a month I was 7 Stepped and free to be an individual. In the forteen months time that it took for me to get a car, I only saw Judy maybe 6 times at various functions, then when I had the chance to finally go out with her, I blew it on a more recent and better looking girl who seemed to be the "bigger better deal" at the time. It is so weird that my waking up from my fever breaking, and a pillow so soaked with sweat that it felt like it had just been pulled from the washer would bring this all back, but it did. Take care everybody, and try writing about how maybe you may have made a difference, instead of all the bad stuff that 'happened' to you. It is really kind of selfish and self defeating in the long run. Bob in St. Pete
