no,YOU'RE sick all the time.

okay, i'm really, REALLY over it.
i cried mercy and headed to the doctor yesterday. asthma + cold + double pink eye + oh add in the nasty eczema on my finger that looks like i have leprosy.

yeah. over it.
armed with a pile of prescriptions i headed to a certain bullseye labeled retailer. it was 5:30, i was exhausted, my eyes felt like they were on fire. all i needed was some veggie crumbles for dinner and my three medications.
i walked back to the frozen foods area carrying elliot and a handbasket.

BOOM.
there i was, on the floor, looking up at a nice man who ran over to help me up.
i slipped in some sort of puddle on the floor and went down, baby in arms.

cue the rigamarole--walking me to the front of the store, sending in the manager. do you need anything? coffee? water? coffee?

uhh..just some paper towels for my wet butt. i landed in the puddle of ???? and soaked much of it up in my pants. it felt like i peed myself. (not that i would know what that feels like. gah)

it's weird, you know? they have this way of seeming concerned, but trying to brush it off at the same time. i was offered coffee or water and told how beautiful my daughter's eyes were. what i really needed was a clean pair of pants and my medicines.

i felt stupid. stupid, embarrassed, annoyed, shaken. all of those things. and you can't help it--as soon as something like this happens the $$$ signs are everywhere. my wrist hurt. but i didn't want to say it, because i didn't want to sound like i was "one of those people". it sounded fake--even to my ears. even though i could feel the pain.

no, i'm okay. i just...it's just sore. and red. no, i don't want to ice it.

okay, she said. well if you don't need medical attention then we don't really need to fill this out. it takes like 45 minutes. and if anything changes you can just come back tomorrow.
she smiled her big toothy julia roberts smile and batted her eyelashes at me. they're no fools...the manager they send over looks just like rachel mcadams.

and then she beat a hasty retreat, leaving me, my cup of ice water, and a stinky baby who quite literally had the poo scared out of her when we fell. i had to walk all the way back across to the food section in my wet jeans. i grabbed my stuff and left.

i called my husband when i got outside. by that point i think the adrenaline was really sinking in, i felt shakey and upset and just wanted to go home. i think i'm okay i said.

except, today, i'm not. i'm not dying--not by a long shot. i don't need to go to the hospital or even the doctor. but i've got bruises popping up all over my legs and feet. my neck and back and hips feel like i was beat up--like i was in a car accident (not that i would know what THAT feels like either. gah).

and, to add insult to injury--my fresh pedicure got mangled when i fell. :( the not even 24 hour old pedicure i got the night before. (when i half jokingly mentioned that the manager told me i could probably go back and they would fix it for me, if i just got it done. um, okay. and they also told me "don't worry, you can't tell your pants are wet. thank goodness for dark jeans, right?" uh, yeah. thanks. i guess)

so i'm just annoyed, i guess. annoyed and sore. i called back today. i kind of want to...i don't know. now that i'm not in the fog and haze of yesterday i'm annoyed by how i was treated. and the soreness and bruises are a reminder of that. so i guess i just feel the need to complain a bit. i'm not a "suer". i'm not going to go back with a neck brace and cane and raise trouble for a quick payday. but, i would appreciate an apology. i would like to go to the chiropractor for an adjustment on my back, neck and hips, and i don't think i should have to pay for that--even if it's only $20 or $30.

the fact is i fell, and i fell hard, and i hurt myself. and it's not a huge deal, but it's not nothing, either.

but i guess i've hit Level 2 Brush Off.

hi, i was in yesterday, and i fell and you told me to call back today if i needed to?
yes, if you required medical attention.
oh. ummm, well, i don't think i need to go to the hospital. but i think i would like to visit a chiropractor. my back and hips and neck are pretty sore.
oh. well, i'll talk to the person in charge of safety. hold on.
........
yeah, you can come in and fill out the paperwork and they'll send it to corporate and they'll investigate and determine responsibility and contact you.
oh, okay. thank you. ummm...where do i go?


this is the way it went.

well look who feels stupid again. me. maybe they'll determine it was my fault? after all, i was wearing flipflops, which the first associate to respond so kindly pointed out to me (oh, flipflops? they're no good). 
ugh.

sigh.
i don't want to start any debates over suing/liability/injury/litigation/whatever. i just know that it's ashame that because of the society we live in today the store's #1 priority is protecting themselves. and if they had said "oh no! we're SO sorry! here, have a pair of jeans to put on now so you don't have to wear wet ones home. and here, here's some nail polish to fix your nails" i'd be a happier girl today. you know--like what you would do for someone if they fell in your home.

instead i feel like i got this pat on the head of oh no are you okay? yes? okay GOODBYE! runnnn awaaay!!!


oh well. there's my vent for the day. on the plus side--my eyes don't feel like they're on fire anymore. so, there's that. ;)