I’ve discovered I have a new power over others, and am not quite sure how to wield it. With my bruised and swollen face and barely understandable speech, I’ve found that strangers fear me. (*disclaimer) Passersby are extremely polite and hurried. Any entity that has a waiting room wants to hide me, although they call it “having me wait in the back where I’ll be more comfortable.” And store clerks? Store clerks are terrified of me, and thus, ready to do my bidding. They do not want to make me unhappy, because then I might make a scene. And it turns out that no store clerk wants the handicapped lady making a scene in their store.
Case in point. I needed a large quantity of oral syringes. Turns out they are difficult to buy, as all the local stores give them away for free. But here’s the catch – they only give you two or three at a time, and I needed several every day. And so I sent Best Husband on a mission to convince the store to let me buy a large quantity so he would not have to run to the store every day to get a few free ones. Day after day, he talked to the clerks, the manager, begged, cajoled, without results. Finally, I decided to put my powers to the test. I appeared with my husband at said store and asked for the manager. When he saw me, I watched his expression turn to that of fear as I stood there explaining my plight in front of all the customers, Then I watched the magic. “Let me make a call,” the manager said, and seconds later returned with the verdict. Ten cents apiece and 100 “free” syringes could be mine. We agreed and the manager jumped into action. He grabbed a large bag and was literally flinging syringes in, while a fumbling assistant helped. Satisfied with the transaction, we paid and turned to leave, but not before I caught the look of relief flooding his face. Victory – he had gotten the handicapped lady out of his store without a scene.
How will I wield this new power? I have decided to only use it for good, though it would be tempting to use it just to mess with people. Do you need your interest rate reduced? Want a better cable rate? Need to negotiate payments on your bills? Whatever the problem, call Hideous Girl. I’ll be there to help.
*Disclaimer: Before I go any further, let me first acknowledge that any person who has lived with a disability has no doubt had the same experience hundreds of times, and I write this in no way intending to belittle their experience.
Related link: Why I will bike no more (huffygirl.wordpress.com)
© Huffygirl 2013
Huffygirl's Blog 
Good grief, I can just imagine the look on their faces when hideous girl walks into their shops!
It’s pretty funny actually, in a morbid sort of way.
Glad you’re blogging! Glad you got the syringes. You won’t be hideous for long, I’m sure. Heal well, Donna.
Hope you are right. In the meantime, I promise to use my hideous powers for good.
Yikes. Your blog has helped remind me what is important in this life at a time when I was stressing out over something small and stupid. Thanks Huffygirl, and I’m so, so sorry this happened to you. Would love to see a post about your prognosis and hoping that it is positive. What a good thing that you have Best Husband. xoxo
Thanks Suzanne. I am coming along and probably should say more about it at some point.I just recently started feeling human again and am not sure how much to write about this. I don’t want to turn Huffygirl’s Blog into a running report on my problems. I hope this is just a small detour. And you are right about Best Husband – he has truly been the best, taking care of me at the expense of his normal life, for the past 5 weeks.