Chapter 2
Oral Or Optical
First and second period had come and gone so fast that hours felt like minutes. The anticipation that i felt whilst waiting for the surprise was intense, it was so rare that my mum would make such a big fuss over something and i just could wait to to be going on holiday, i had very recently looked online at the local campsite and found that it would be an excellent place to stay. it was 12 oclock on the dot and i just could not stand waiting any longer, i put up my hand to be excused from the maths class when Mr O’Carol had just looked up, he sighed, bathroom again Daniel? He asked, No sir i replied, handing him my note. He responded with a shrug and allowed my to leave. Buzzing with excitement i half speedwalked half skipped towards front office where i was met by my stepdad Steve and a cold emotionless smile which was about as much as i ever got out of him. I followed behind as he led me into the back of his brand new company car and we took off in the direction of the main city…
So, i asked ecstatically, where are we going? Your mum made me promise not to tell you he replied in a gruff voice. And so there we sat for the entire half hour journey just waiting to arrive in silence, i let my mind wander as to what surprise could be in store for me but i felt sure that with the amount of hype that was being built up that it would far top being let out of school earlier! We stopped abruptly outside a small rundown shop at the end of the highstreet and walked inside, it had no name on the front door and if ill be honest looked as though i was entering some sort of drug lord den. Steve led me down some stairs to under neath the shop where there was a cheery looking receptionist standing behind a mahogany desk wearing a white lab coat Steve spoke with her for about a minute muttering something about a double appointment one optical and one oral, looking back on it it should have been quite obvious it meant bad news but at the time i just assumed it was some sort of code, the receptionist called out to me to follow her into the back room with Steve, i entered this starkly clinical looking room with an eye chart on the wall and 2 seats on either side of the room each with heavy wall mounted machinery hanging from above… is this really what the surprise was supposed to be, an eye test? I had not been for an eye test since i was 7 and cant remember much from the appointment other than reading letters off a chart, nevertheless i did as i was told and sat down as a machine blew air in my eyes, it made them quite dry and i felt an irresistible urge to rub them. The receptionist then softly asked me to look through the goggles hanging from the wall and read out the letters, i did this a couple of times as they tried out different lenses, all in all the process took about half an hour. After a bit of consulting the receptionist/optician whispered something to Steve and then took me through a door to my right into another room that was still clinical white, but this one was filled with rows of glasses, the optician briefly explained that i would need to wear glasses from now on to correct my vision, i tried to protest saying that it was a mistake and that i have never needed to wear glasses before but she then pointed out that i have not been for many years, she steered me down an isle and found a mirror for me to try some on in, she took out a pair of square golden glasses and told me to try them, i put them on sheepishly but then promply found they rather suited me, the optician however took them off before i had a chance to protest exclaiming that they ‘werent my style’ instead pulling out a pair of thick round steel rimmed glasses with 2 arches upon it, the sort that were fashionable back in the 1980s! She put them on for me and much to my disgust discovered that they made me look like a freak, i recoiled at the mere sight of them hardly daring to look at my own reflections, it might sound like a bit over dramatic but it was honestly how i felt. The optician announced that they were perfect and steered me by the shoulders towards where my stepdad was waiting, to my shock and horror he nodded his approval and went to purchase my new glasses leaving my standing there gobsmacked. The optician replaced the glass filler pannels with my more thick prescription ones and put them on my face. She explained to my stepdad that i was required by law to wear my glasses when driving and crossing roads and explained that as they are prescription glasses they need to be worn all the time…
I was just standing there trying to process what had just happened over the past 5 minutes when my stepdad took me by the hand and practically dragged me out of the room and up the stairs, we then proceeded to climb a second flight of stairs into a second waiting room with a second receptionist sitting behind her desk. She seemed to be wearing some sort of harness that was attached to a thick metal bar around the outside of her face! I shivered and tried to look away from her as she looked up and asked for my name, i quietly murmured, Daniel, and looked into her eyes in pure fear. She said that I should go in now to meet Dr Taylor whilst my stepdad stayed in the reception room. I shuffled into the room behind her and she closed the door behind me leaving me trapped in this white cell with just a desk and a patient chair in the middle of the room, it was in that moment when I truly realised that the pain was about to get worse. I climbed onto the patient chair as instructed and Dr Taylor began reclining it, she smiled sweetly and exclaimed that she liked my new glasses as she put the lip spreader in my mouth, she began to explain that i would be receiving treatment here under the instructions from my parents and that i shouldn't worry as my parents had already informed her practice of my phobia of orthodontia and that it was because of that that i would be marked as a behavioural case. She explained that it was all in the contract that i signed, rolling her eyes. It was then that i felt a small prick in the side of my arm, i went to turn my head to see what it was but as i did i began to feel this numbness spreading up the side of my body, I began to try to shout you bastards! But all that came out was this inaudible mumble of nonsense. Dr Taylor told me not to worry and that because of my status as a behavioural case that during each appointment i would need to be sedated in order to avoid injury to either myself or her i was confused at first but reluctantly agreed, less pain anyway i thought. I did however fear for what they might do to me! Would I end up with a harness too just like the receptionist or would I get worse?!? My mind was racing and due to my inability to feel i was even more startled when i realised that Dr Taylor had already started her work...
