It was 8 AM on Tuesday morning and I listened to my telephone messages in my office. “This is Sharon S.,” the first message played, “calling on Thursday. I think I’m having a urinary infection. Please call me back.”
“It's Sharon S.,” the next message played, “calling on Friday. I’m having a lot of burning when I urinate and wonder if I should be on antibiotics.”
With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I quickly dialed Sharon's number and unfortunately got an answering machine. I apologized for not getting her message sooner, explaining that the clinic was closed for a federal holiday on Thursday, and that Fridays and Mondays were the days that I didn't work at the clinic. All of these were true statements, but as I recounted them before Sharon's answering machine they sounded pathetic.