Page 6 of Perfect Date
“Wait, so when you told him he has a gum infection and needs gum therapy he laughed at you?” I ask my friend and fellow hygienist, Kimberly. She works with me at Mason Creek Dental and the two of us have become good friends in a short time. We’ve bonded over our career but also happily found we have several things in common.
“He did, and laughed even harder when I told him I wouldn’t be able to continue to do a regular cleaning when he has an active infection, that it could spread and cause real harm,” she sighs.
“You shared the metaphor and everything?”
“Yep, I told him it’s like washing a muddy truck without water. You just spread the mud around.”
“Well, I guess he won’t be laughing when he has excruciating pain or his is teeth begin to fall out, but hopefully he’ll come to his senses before then.”
“I sure hope so,” she sighs and I understand her frustration. It’s hard, not only when people think of dental care as one of their lowest priorities and have no idea of its impact on their overall health status but when you speak of its importance or show concern they act as though you’re blowing smoke up their butt. It’s harder still when they suggest we don’t know what we’re talking about. It’s actually incredibly insulting. This is our area of expertise; we are well-educated, experienced and care about their well-being. Moreover, we wouldn’t risk our license and livelihood that way. We’ve seen what can happen when people don’t take care of their teeth and minimize their oral health and even worse, when infection spreads - we don’t want those complications for anyone.
“Well, you did all you can do,” I shrug telling her the same thing I always tell myself when I’m in her position. “We can’t make anyone do anything, all we can do is inform and educate.”
“I know, you’re one hundred percent correct. We can lead a horse to water…”
“But can’t make them drink,” I finish.
“Yeah,” she shakes her head and shoulders as if in an attempt to let the morning frustrations roll off. “So,” she raises her eyebrows at me and I know what’s coming. She’s the only one who knows about my date last night. “Stop keeping me in suspense. Tell me how your date went. It was with… Chad right?” I nod. “Come on, spill all the details already.”
Admittedly, for a nanosecond a small part of me considers lying to her and telling her it was great, a lot of fun, that we are going to try and meet up again soon. I know it’s wrong, but the alternative, the truth, is extremely embarrassing. I won’t though, for a few reasons.
First, she’s the one that encouraged me to start a dating profile when I first mentioned it and has been nothing but supportive. She even helped me set it up. One night she came over to my place and over a delicious charcuterie board full of cheese, nuts, and fruit, we drank wine and came up with eye-catching, enticing content. This was of course after much laughter due to the research we performed by googling suggestions and looking at other people’s profiles, good and bad.
Secondly, she’s also the one who has coached me, supported me, and said that there would be hits and misses, so it’s not like she’ll be surprised that my first date was the ultimate nightmare.
But there’s another reason. A simple one, really.
Friends don’t lie to friends.
Taking a bite of my salad, thankful we left the office and walked across the street to Wren’s Cafe for lunch, I chew while considering my words thoughtfully.
“Can I just tell you it was a disaster without giving you the details and you merely tell me you’re sorry? Then, instead, we can move on to the latest beauty product you’re trying now?” I ask hopefully.
“No, absolutely not. To the not giving me details part. Yes, to the product though. After. Now spill.”
With a deep sigh I decide not to sugar coat it, “It can only be described as an epic failure.”
“Oh, come on. You’re just being hard on yourself, aren’t you?”
“No. I wish.”
“It couldn’t have been that bad…” she tries to be reassuring.
“Oh, it was.”
“Are you just saying that because it was your first date in a while? And not just that, but your first time dating someone you met online?”
“No, it’s- “
“Because I told you, there’s nothing wrong with it. Like I said before, jumping into the online dating world takes some getting used to. Everyone is doing it, and you can too. There’s likely to be good and bad ones.”
“Remember how I told you he has a vintage car collection and I couldn’t wait to go for a ride in the Mustang he was telling me about?”
“Yes, I remember. Was it amazing? How could that have been an ‘epic failure’?”
Jumping right to the chase, I blurt, “Because his vintage car collection were small little matchbox cars. A matchbox car collection. Brought to our date in a travel carry case.”
It takes a minute before Kimberly absorbs what I’ve shared. First, she stops chewing and stares at me with great intensity as her eyes widen. When she sees I’m not smiling and am keeping a straight face, and even slightly grimacing, she drops her fork and covers her mouth with her hand. Her head shakes back and forth and she makes a choking sound.
