Total Meltdown

Doc’s 7-year-old daughter Isabel walked into my office this afternoon.  Her face was a picture of unhappiness.  “I am so mad,” she said.  

“What’s wrong, Isabel?” I asked.  

She pointed to the corners of her mouth, and there, on each corner was a cold sore that was having its way with her.  “Today was picture day!” she said.  

Oh.  I guess this was pretty bad.  Never mind all of her missing teeth.

I sympathized with her, and she tried to comfort herself with the thought that at least the school would have a Retake Day in about a month.  Unfortunately, according to Miss Isabel, it takes a month for her cold sores to go away.  

“It’s going in the yearbook,” she finished sadly.

“Isabel,” I said.  “It doesn’t matter.  There’s always next year, and it will replace this year’s.”  

“You don’t know what happened last year,” she said. “I had a total meltdown.”

“What happened last year?”  

“He said ‘cheese,’ and I sneezed.”    Uh oh.  I couldn’t help but laugh.  (Isabel thought I was being mean.)  

“Well, didn’t you have retakes last year?” I asked.

“Yes, but he didn’t tell me ‘cheese’ that time, and my eyes were looking like this!”  I was subjected to a Demonstration.  Oh my.  Really bad.  

I think she felt better after venting.  I know I did.  I highly enjoyed the Sad Little Tale.  

That’d be a great title for a book, don’t you think?  “He Said ‘Cheese,’ and I Sneezed.’