I just wanted to add something to the story about Anasa. After I was reinstated to my regular take-home schedule, I thought there was no other way that she could play games. But the next time I walked up to the dosing window, the nurse said, “Just a minute. I’m going to give you a breathalyzer.” “Do I look inebriated at 6 a.m. in the morning?” I said. “Alcohol is not one of my addictions. I have never been drunk in my life. I don’t like the taste of alcohol.”

The nurse came out from behind the window to put the contraption up to my mouth. I blew in it. She showed my the reading on the gadget: 1.00. “Well, what does that mean? Do I have to go home?” I asked. “Wait here for 20 to 30 minutes and I’ll retest you,” she said. I waited in the lobby. She retested me. This time the reading was 0.00. I must have become sober pretty fast, or…maybe the nurse didn’t know how to work the breathalyzer. Cynthia, my new counselor, was convinced it was surely my fault. I must have used mouthwash or something. Cynthia was an ex-alcoholic, so she couldn’t fathom that the nurse goofed with the machine. Again, it’s something that I did wrong.

Another thing I noticed when I told the story about Anasa to other counselors or anybody who would listen was that people were hesitant to believe me. They couldn’t believe that this nice woman was either too ignorant or too mean to keep her mind closed while I was pleading with her to look at the creatinine test in a different way. I think one of the reason these counselors doubted me is because I was criticizing their tribe. One counselor said, “There are two sides to every story.” The last counselor I told said, “Maybe she just didn’t like you.” They couldn’t grasp that a college-educated person could be so stuck and ignorant.

I would like to know what became of Anasa. I’d also like to get that apology she owes me. I won’t hold my breath though. These clinic stories are so commonplace though, my friends just shrug their shoulders and say, “How could you expect anything different?’

I am entering into another clinic story with my current clinic. I will wait until the story plays out before I write about it. But I’ll give you a clue about the person who is trying to stand in my way: She should get the Bureaucrat of the Year Award.