My Visa Moment

There are some things you can't make up

 

“Mom, can you come here?” my daughter shouts from the top of the staircase.

“No, Olivia, I’m busy,” I shout back from the kitchen.

“There something wrong with Tiffany.”

“I’m sure she’s fine.”

“No, I’m so serious, you gotta come here.”

“Fine.”  I trudge up the staircase to her Barbie pink room. Her down-turned mouth told me that this was more than the normal eight year old “drama.”

I peer in the wire cage. “She looks fine to me.”

“Mom, there’s something wrong with her face.”

I sigh, open the cage and pull out Tiffany. I study her face. She definitely has something wrong with her. I put her back in the cage and turn to my daughter.

“Ok Liv, listen closely, because I may only say this once. You were right.” I then proceed to the nearest phone book to find a Vet and begin dialing.

“Hello, Park Glen Animal Hospital.”

“Yes, I need to make an appointment for my daughter's pet.”

“Yes, dog or cat?” the perky voice questioned.

“Rat.”

“I’m sorry did you say rat?”

As if I had stuttered. “Yes, rat.”

“We don’t treat rats.” The perk just left.

“Do you know who does?” I can see the bucks adding up now.

“Yes, let me give you a number.”

 

Within a few minutes, I secured a “come on in” appointment, i.e., be prepared to wait.

“Ok kids, grab your shoes. Olivia get that rat into a box.” I shout up the staircase.

My son, Josh, bounds down three steps at a time, followed by Olivia and Tiffany the Rat, in the shoebox of the brand new shoes we had just purchased an hour ago.  Fabulous! Guess we won’t be returning those.

“Olivia, of all the boxes, why did you pick that one?” I couldn’t even hide the annoyance at this point. “Mom, it already has holes in it.”

Hard to argue with logic. “Okay, just get in the car.”

We speed safely off to the Vet that specializes in “small cage animals.” As I pull into the parking lot, I noticed only three cars. Great I think, maybe we can get in and out.

Josh, the dutiful, opens his annoying kid sister’s door so she can get We all head to the door.

As we check in, I instruct the brood to sit on the long bench to the side. As the receptionist types I look around. An older woman with a Pekinese, a couple with a cat, and a Heinz 57 rolling around, with a teenager holding onto the leash and there on the end of the bench, is Olivia, feet dangling, holding onto her box for dear life.

“How long Mom?” Josh asks as I sit down.  Just before I can answer, the door opens up and three new fur patients come in, another cat, a Shi Tzu, and a German Sheppard. My hopes of getting in and out are quickly dispatched. “Get comfortable, we’ll be here awhile.”

Olivia asks the lady with the Pekinese what the dog’s name is and responds with a smile. “Spiffy and what pet do you have?”

Olivia holds up her box with pride. “A rat, her name is Tiffany, but she’s sick, she has an owie on her face.”

“Oh, well I’m sure they can help her.” 

Olivia shakes her head yes in agreement. 

I watch the clock tick, one hour, then two. Pets and their owners come and go. This is just a fabulous way to spend my LAST day of vacation. Finally I hear those golden words. “Tiffany, you’re next.”

We hustle into the exam room. The tech asks us the standard questions, what are ya here for, how old is the rat and then is she spaded.

Spaded? Do they spade rats? I answer the best I can. She informs me the doctor will be in shortly.

The Vet comes in. We chat about the issue and then she opens the box. “Oh my!”

Not the response I was looking for.  

“Was she with another rat?” she asks as she studies Tiffany’s face.

“No.”

“How old is she”

“About eighteen months.”

She shakes her head.

“This is really bad wound, I'm going to try and see if we can clean it out.” She holds her and takes a cotton tipped swab dipped in alcohol. She wipes, the rat squeals. The Vet puts her back in the box. “Well, that’s not going to work. I think we should sedate her if we are going to clean that wound.”

Sedate her? Sedate a rat? “Are there any other options?” I ask.

The Vet explains that she is hurting her and could stress her out. I turn myself so I’m in between the kids and her.

“How much is the charge for that?”

“Let me get you an estimate, I’ll be right back.”

She leaves.

I start to try and find my happy place.

The Vet returns and places the estimate in front of me.

I look and blink. Surely that can’t be right. I look back at the Vet, she looks almost apologetic. Smiling, I ask, “What is the life expectancy of a rat?”

“About two years.”

“If we do nothing?”

“She will more than likely die,” the Vet responds.

“Die!” Olivia shouts, “You can’t let her die Mom, you just can’t.”

I turn to her to try and explain the fine lines of finances. “Olivia, we can get you another rat.”The tears are freely falling.

“I don’t want another rat, I want this one.”

Then Josh chimes in “I don’t want her to die either.”

I roll my eyes and sigh.

“Ok, if we do this, you can’t ask for McDonald’s or Pizza Hut and you will have to both brown bag it to school for the next three weeks.” They nod in agreement.

Whoever said having a pet was just delaying a heartache, wasn’t kidding.

I turn back to the Vet, grab the pen and sign the estimate. The Vet takes the rat and within sixteen minutes is back. The rat, a little groggy, and a hole in the side of her head, will live.

We check out and I hand the clerk my Visa.

Exotic Pet Visit…… $45.00

Sedation………………$29.00               

Wound Cleaning….$20.00

Meds for Rat………..$18.00

Total $113.00

Seeing your child’s relieved face because her beloved pet will be alright, priceless.

 

Author's Note

You'll be happy to know Olivia, Josh and Tiffany the Rat, are all doing fine. The jury is still out on Mom.

Reviews

[Creepy Swine Guy]

Oh my goodness, I found myself chuckling out loud on several occassions. I would have said many of the same things. I know your pain. I have several meds for myself and yet, I've spent more to medicate my dog this year than I have to medicate myself. This was very entertaining and hit a very sentimental nerve.

[Charles D. Moorer]

I know this story onlyl too well. Nicely done. you captured the moment exactly.

[Poets Soul]

I enjoyed this story. It was delivered very well. PS

[DreamWalker]

Hilarious in a painfully real way.

As for criticism, I think that Jet Lag has said enough for all of us.

[BrightEyes]

LOL well I must say - you are a good Mom. Me - well, first off I'm not much on the rodent pet population anyway - I mean, I have cats so that the field mice don't take up residence, I certainly don't want to willingly bring one into my home lol. I guess though - I did spend $400 to save the cat - the one that hated me but loved the kids - so I guess in the end - yep, that face is priceless :-)

[Chillbear Latrigue]

This was an excellent story. I really enjoyed where the author negotiated saving the rat with her kids. This is a dillema that every pet owner faces: how do you put a price on a pet's life. This story reminds us that Big Oil has nothing on the vetrenarians in holding us over the barrel. Very nice read.

[JC]

I'd like to thank Jet for all her suggestions. I appreciate all comments, but constructive criticsm is what I am here for, so that I may grow as a writer.

[Jet Lag]

GREAT FUNNY STORY THAT SOUNDS LIKE YOUR FRIDAY, LOL! I MADE CORRECTION SUGGESTIONS IN CAPITALS BELOW IN CASE YOU DECIDE TO SUBMIT THIS SOMEWHERE. MY CORRECTIONS MAY HAVE ERRORS SINCE MY WORD WON'T CORRECT ANYTHING IN ALL CAPS� HOW IRONIC!!!!!!!!!!

LOWER CASE ON MY "Mom, can you come here?" my daughter shouts from the top of the staircase.
COMMA AFTER BUSY "No, Olivia, I'm busy," I shout back from the kitchen.
PERIOD OUTSIDE OF QUOTATIONS AFTER DRAMA� WEIRD ILLOGICAL THING ABOUT ENGLISH GRAMMER, GO FIGURE "Fine." I trudge up the staircase to her Barbie pink room. Her down-turned mouth told me that this was more than the normal eight year old "drama."
I peer in the wire cage. "She looks fine to me."
BEGIN NEW PARAGRAPH WHEN ANOTHER CHARACTER SPEAKS OR ACTS, SO NEW ONE BEGINS WITH I SIGH. "Mom, there's something wrong with her face."
READERS MAY BE CONFUSED AS TO WHETHER TIFFANY IS THE DAUGHTER OR THE PET HERE: I sigh, and open the cage to pull out Tiffany. I study her face. She definitely has something wrong with her. I put her back in the cage and turn to my daughter.
POSSESSIVE FORM OF DAUGHTER = DAUGHTER'S "Yes, I need to make an appointment for my daughters pet."
TAKE THE AS IF AND PUT ON SEPARATE LINE "I'm sorry did you say rat?"
As if I had stuttered. "Yes, rat."
CAPITALIZE THE "We don't treat rats." The perk just left.
COMMA AFTER YES. "Yes, let me give you a number."
COMMA AFTER OLIVIA "Ok kids, grab your shoes. Olivia, get that rat into a box." I shout up the staircase.
COMMA AFTER SON AND MAYBE TIFFANY. My son, Josh, bounds down three steps at a time, followed by Olivia and Tiffany, the Rat, in the shoebox of the brand new shoes we had just purchased an hour ago.
FUNNY! Guess we won't be returning those.
NEW PARAGRAPH WHEN OLIVIA BEGINS SPEAKING "Olivia, of all the boxes, why did you pick that one?" I couldn't even hide the annoyance at this point.
"Mom, it already has holes in it."
NEW PARAGRAOPH WHEN MOM SPEAKS. FUNNY!!! Hard to argue with logic. "Okay, just get in the car."
QUOTATIONS AFTER PERIOD SEE ABOVE We speed safely off to the Vet that specializes in "small cage animals."
As I pull into the parking lot, I noticed only three cars. Great I think, maybe we can get in and out.
NEW PARAGRAPH WHEN ANTOHER CHARACTER ACTS OR SPEAKS Josh, the dutiful, opens his annoying kid sister's END SENTENCE AFTER OUT door so she can get out. We all head to the door.
COMMA AFTER TYPES As the receptionist types, I look around. An older woman with a Pekinese, a couple with a cat and a Heinz 57 rolling around, with a teenager holding onto the leash and there on the end of the bench, is Olivia, feet dangling holding onto her box for dear life.
FUNNY three new fur patients come in, another cat,
CHECK SPELLING Shitzu
SEE FIX: Olivia asks the lady with the Pekinese what the dog's name is, and THE LADY responds with a smile. "Spiffy and what pet do you have?"
NEW PARAGRAPH AND PERIOD AFTER PRIDE. Olivia holds up her box with pride. "A rat, her name is Tiffany, but she's sick, she has an owie on her face."
"Oh, well I'm sure they can help her."
NEW PARAGRAPH ON OLIVIA Olivia shakes her head yes in agreement.
FUNNY! This is just a fabulous way to spend my LAST day of vacation. Finally I hear those golden words. "Tiffany, you're next."
We hustle into the exam room. The tech asks us the standard questions, what are ya here for, how old is the rat and then is she spaded.
NEW PARAGRAPH HERE SINCE IT GOES INTO MOM'S HEAD Spaded? Do they spade rats?
I answer the best I can. She informs me the doctor will be in shortly.
The Vet comes in. We chat about the issue and then she opens the box. "Oh my!"
Not the response I was looking for. "Was she with another rat?" she asks as she studies Tiffany's face.
NEW PARAGRAPH HERE "No."
"How old is she"
"About eighteen months."
NEW PARAGRAPH HERE She shakes her head.
"This is really bad wound, I'm going to try and see if we can clean it out." She holds her and takes a cotton tipped swab dipped in alcohol. She wipes, the rat squeals. The Vet puts her back in the box. "Well, that's not going to work. I think we should sedate her if we are going to clean that wound."
NEW PARAGRAPH HERE Sedate her? Sedate a rat? "Are there any other options?" I ask.
NEW PARAGRAPH HERE The Vet explains that she is hurting her and could stress her out.
NEW PARAGRAPH HERE I turn myself so I'm in between the kids and her. "How much is the charge for that?"
"Let me get you an estimate, I'll be right back." She leaves.
NEW PARAGRAPH HERE I start to try and find my happy place.
NEW PARAGRAPH HERE The Vet returns and places the estimate in front of me.
NEW PARAGRAPH HERE I look and blink. Surely that can't be right. I look back at the Vet, she looks almost apologetic. Smiling, I ask, "What is the life expectancy of a rat?"
NEW PARAGRAPH HERE "About two years."
"If we do nothing?"
COMMA AFTER DIE "She will more than likely die," the Vet responds.
"Die!" Olivia shouts, "You can't let her die Mom, you just can't."
NEW PARAGRAPH HERE I turn to her to try and explain the fine lines of finances. "Olivia, we can get you another rat." The tears are freely falling,
NEW PARAGRAPH HERE "I don't want another rat, I want this one."
NEW PARAGRAPH HERE Then Josh chimes in "I don't want her to die either."
NEW PARAGRAPH HERE I roll my eyes and sigh.
CAPITALIZE THE D IN MCDONALD'S "Ok, if we do this, you can't ask for McDonald's or Pizza Hut and you will have to both brown bag it to school for the next three weeks."
NEW PARAGRAPH HERE They nod in agreement. Whoever said having a pet was just delaying a heartache, wasn't kidding.

GREAT STORYTELLING LADY AND YOU ARE IN MY THOUGHTS, MOM! :)

[Wildfleour]

Oy Vey! :)

[The Rock And Roll Cowbo..]

Oh that is really a touching story, hey are pets are part of the family and to see what you went through for your kid and her pet is priceless.