Friday at 5:00 p.m.

Hallelujah for Friday at 5:00 p.m. June had just survived a week from hell.  The health clinic had been crowded with too many crazies. Everyone and their brother wanted a flu shot, thank your channel 13 for your news report. Immunizations and crying children were a breeze.  It was the adult health clients who tested her Christianity.  Each week she secretly awarded prizes to her most interesting cases. 



First place had to go to the kid who would haunt her, crazy mixed up and on drugs and now with a baby on the way.  Sometimes it was hard to be an optimist.  What chance did this child have of being normal with mom putting methamphetamines into her veins?  Would this innocent child someday learn that mom came from the battered women's shelter to have her pregnancy test?  What were the odds of this baby having a relationship with its birth parents?  DSS and foster parents would likely get involved before the baby left the delivery room.  Poor screwed up mom, poor innocent baby. 



The guy who'd made her laugh the most was the folk singer who insisted he needed free rabies shots because he dreamt a bat was flying around his room.  It was hard to keep a straight face and remain professional.  "Yes sir, we do have the rabies vaccine" and "Yes sir, bats do have a 6% chance of carrying the disease", but "No sir, we can't vaccinate on the basis of your dreams."



Most annoying was the guy who insisted his billfold was stolen and his prescription for pain medication was taken.  He had an urgent need for a replacement. No need to replace his anti-hypertensive or anti-convulsant meds.  They were safe and sound.  Just the good stuff, that's all he needed.  How gullible did he think she was?  Didn't he understand that the clinic had a "We don't replace lost, stolen, shredded, dog eaten, water damaged narcotic prescriptions" policy for a reason?  Geez! 



June was tired and looking forward to a quiet evening.  She'd had enough of God's children for one week.  Her cat, a warm fire, a good book, what more did a girl need out of life, but then she remembered her promise.  Her sweet, well meaning, sister kept nagging her to try out the on-line Christian dating service.  What harm could it do? 



She did a cursory search and had to laugh.  What a jaded eye she had.  He writes, "Fun loving" she thinks responsibility shunning.  He writes "alpha male" she reads power hungry, control freak, physically abusive.  He writes "God serving" she thinks sanctimonious, legalistic, narrow-minded.  Maybe this dating service wasn't her thing after all, but she'd kept her promise and logged on to the dating service.  Her sister would be happy. What a relief to go back to the crackling fire, a work of fiction and her old, faithful cat.  What more could a girl ask for?