Good things from bad. Twice in one day.
A golden crown on a back molar fell off last week; today, I went to the dentist to have it fixed. There was decay under the crown that will require taking out the old cement, then drilling out the decay, filling the cavity, then putting on a temporary crown until the permanent one is ready. “Want to do this now, I have time?” asked the dentist.
Tears sprang to my eyes and fell out onto my cheeks. I was frightened, of the pain, at the surprise and of the procedure. My blood pressure jumped 20 points. I couldn’t do it today. I need my husband to come and hold my hand during this procedure, as my body goes into flight or flight mode and I am again 5 years old in the dentist’s chair, being told by the dentist that “this won’t hurt, don’t be silly” and my mother is threatening punishment when I get home for embarrassing her. So we scheduled for next week.
Then the dentist gave me good news. Because the crown fell off, the decay underneath was revealed. (X-ray doesn’t show anything in a tooth under a crown. My recent check-up had showed that all was clear, although they told me that they couldn’t see under the crown.) If the crown had stayed on, the decay would have spread and created a big mess, perhaps an abscess or destroying bone or requiring a root canal. So good news has come from bad. I am grateful.
After the dentist, I went to a local grocery store and bought a bag of groceries. When I went to pay, my credit card was declined. Twice. The store refused to take a check. I was mortified, and said that I couldn’t pay. Could they put the groceries aside so that I could go home and come back with money? While I was discussing this option with the cashier, a White guy about my own age stepped forward and gave the clerk his credit card to use. “Don’t worry about it” he said, while both the cashier and I tried to find some balance at this unexpected turn of events. The man waved our comments aside, “don’t worry about it, ” he repeated. I stammered that I was grateful and that all I could do would be to pay this kindness forward. I was weeping for the second time today, feeling vulnerable, falling, and being caught by kindness and luck.
When I got home and told my husband, he asked if I had gotten the man’s name, to pay him back via Venmo or PayPal. I hadn’t thought to do that, being overwhelmed by the surprise kindness, from one stranger to another.
(I had neglected to pay the balance on this bank credit card for 3 months; I took care of that when I got home, and now am good.)
