Say What?

I took Joe and Anne to see the pediatrician for their annual check-up. This is their first Well Child Check with this doctor. Doc wanted to do a TB test on both kids. They were less than thrilled, but bravely held still for the nurse to administer the skin test.


Two days later we returned to the Doc's office to have the tests read. Joe and Anne both tested positive for TB. Hooray! The nurse was quite taken aback. I told her that their dad always tests positive too. The nurse started laughing then. "Lucky them!" she said. "They never have to get that yucky skin test again." I agreed. They are lucky kids! Hahaha!


Anyone who has ever tested positive knows that the next step is a chest x-ray. The x-ray shows if the individual really has TB or if they are a false-positive-reacting-type person.


So we head downstairs to the imaging lab. The gal at the front directs me to sign in on the "Walk-In" side. I ask her how long the wait is. She tells me about thirty minutes. I say alright, we'll go ahead and do this now. And I sign in. Then I have this odd conversation with her...


Gal: "You can sit down." (pause) "I call you right now."


Me: "You'll call me right now? Great!" (and I stand there smiling at her)


Gal: (looking at me weird) "You can go sit down. I call you right now."


Me: (still standing there) "Oh good. Here's my insurance card. Did you want my driver's license too?"


Gal: (slightly exasperated for reasons unknown to me) "No. You go sit down. I call you right now."


Me: "Wait. What? You want me to go sit down?"


Gal: "Yes." (smiling cause she thinks I understand what she is saying now) "You go sit down. I call you right now to get your information."


Me: "What? You'll call me right now. Well, I'm here. Here's my information." (and I try to give her my insurance card again)


Gal: (looking exasperated again) "No. Go sit down. I call you right now."


Me: (really feeling confused because why in the world am I going to sit down when she is calling me right now) "Why would I sit down? You said you are calling me right now."


Gal: "Yes. Right now I call you. Go sit down."


Me: (comprehension slowly dawning on me) "You keep telling me you'll call me 'right now'. 'Right now' means this very instant. Is that what you mean? That you are calling me 'right now'? Or do you mean something else? How long do you mean when you say 'right now'?


Gal: (looks like she is trying to be patient with me cause I obviously don't understand plain English) "Yes. Right now. Like five minutes I call you right now. Go sit down and I call you right now."


Me: (feeling really confused) "Oh. Okay, we'll just go sit down."


Gal: (sighs in relief that I have finally left her counter)




My Dear Friends, Can one of you please explain to me when the meaning of "Right Now" changed from "this very instant" to "In five minutes"?


Hahahaha!!!


Living in the town I live in, I should be used to the idiosyncrasies that exist. But I tell you, this "right now" one is brand new to me. :)