muley

I was in first grade at Marshall Academy in Holly Springs, MS. I'm not sure of the year, but I know I failed that year because I was out for so long. The following year I ended up in public schools (more about that one day if anybody cares).

I had tick fever and was near death, and they rushed me to the hospital in Oxford, Mississippi. We lived in Holly Springs, MS, at the time. So, they got me in there, put be on a bed, strapped my arms to these heavy weights so I wouldn’t fight them and they gave me what seemed like 20+ shots!! It was miserable. Mama was made to wait out in the hall, and Daddy had to leave the hospital floor. I was screaming and he couldn’t take it.

Well, the next day a cute young nurse comes into the room and I see she has a needle. I FLEW from the bed to the bathroom, slammed the door, and locked it! She and Mama began to try to coax me out, and I turned on the water faucet. The HOT water. I watched it until it steamed, and then I put a wash cloth in it and soaked the wash cloth.

I asked the nurse, “Is my mama with you?” She said, “She is.” I said, “I’ll open the door, but she has to go into the hall.” So, they sent mama into the hall. I asked the nurse, “Can you lean down here by the door a second?” (You know where this is going, don’t you?) She did and said, “Okay?” I opened the door and slammed her face with that steaming hot rag! BAM! I slammed the door shut and locked it again, she yelled out and ran out of the room crying, mama came in and asked me, “What’d you do??” I said, “I dunno.”

They got me back though, a nurse that I call Big Bertha came in. A mean, tall, fat old nurse who frowned and said, “You’re about to get a shot, and you will stay right in that bed and you will NOT make a peep or a sound of any sort until I say it’s okay for you to do that! Do you understand me?” I said, “Yes, ma’am.”

She stuck me, and she moved SLOW. I gritted my teeth and strained to keep quiet. She took the needle out, put a bandage on my arm and said, “Okay, you can talk.” I shouted, “OOOWWWWW!” Because it DID hurt. I wish I could find that nurse to apologize to her--the one I rag-slapped. That was horrible, and could have ruined her forever.

On my form when I go see the doctor and it asks for any known allergies, to this day I still write "Needles."

You'd think a guy who makes puppets would be used to needles by now, wouldn't you? But it still hurts just that teeny little bit. I'm such a sissy about pain.