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2006-06-08 - 8:23 p.m.

Today, Nya and I went to the doctor at the hospital near me. Well, I guess I went to the doctor; Nya came along mostly to keep me company. I just wanted to get a check-up with a GP, which I haven�t had in years and now I can do since I have insurance. I should note that the place has a pretty ghetto reputation and several people warned me against getting an appointment there. But it wasn�t like the medical care was any different, although we did have to wait an interminably long time.

When the doctor finally saw me, she did something I don�t think anyone�s done before. Really just a simple thing, but it�s stuck in my mind. I was sitting across from the doctor in the exam room. Nya had also come in and was sitting in a chair nearby. I was going through my medical history (basically, I�ve generally been and am now just fine, except for a touch of MS), when she asked me out of curiosity who Nya was. I replied that she was my fianc� and the love of my life.

Then it occurred to me that no one had ever before asked me about Nya. People always address her with questions about me. We first noticed it at the airport. Nya was wheeling me through the baggage screening line and we came to the personal metal detector. A security person asked Nya if I could get up and walk through it. She started to say that yes, I could, but I�d rather remain seated and have someone wave a detection wand over me. But then she realized, wait a second, why don�t you just ask him?

People speak to her instead of me all the time. I feel like some of them assume that since I�m physically disabled, I must be mentally challenged as well. I half-expect them to start talking to me loud and slow. Aren�t. You. A. Good. Boy! I�ve gotten pretty used to this. I can see it back last summer when I went to Lily Dale. The medium I had a personal meeting with heard I was disabled and thought she wouldn�t be able to explain my spiritual reading because I must be retarded too.

It continued as soon as we left the exam room. I gave in a form for a blood test at the front desk and the nurse asked Nya if I�d eaten yet because some of the tests had to be done on an empty stomach. I told her I actually hadn�t eaten yet all day and was really hungry. Would this take much longer? To her credit, she didn�t seem surprised that I could speak for myself. I guess most people actually roll with it and don�t blink. Perhaps they�re actually relieved; speaking with a slow person can be frustrating.

When I�m by myself and Nya�s not around it can be fun to guess who will approach me talking like I�m retarded and who like I�m normal. Once I respond and it�s apparent that I have all my mental faculties intact, they converse with me like they would with anyone. But having to deal with this constant assumption that I�m stupid� Well I could see that really getting to me if I didn�t let it slide.

� 2006 Geoff Gladstone

Katie tagged me and I will respond soon, despite her bet that I won�t�

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