Sometimes Rude is Necessary

I have always tried to be a friendly person. Being on the shy side and not really outspoken to those I do not know, it would be pretty unexpected of me to have a negative, rude outburst towards a stranger. However, I have a limit, just like everyone else, and can recall being particularly rude to a complete stranger before.

We've all been in the situation where we have been in a very big hurry and it seems like the rest of the world is moving at a snail's pace. On this day, I was eight months pregnant and carrying around a 22 month old. I needed to get a prescription in the hospital pharmacy and then pick up my hubby at work. To get to the hospital pharmacy, I needed to walk a very long distance from a far away parking lot to the hospital, then walk through a maze of hallways.

Lumbering through the parking lot, into the hospital, and through the hallways was not fun. I was suffering from preeclampsia, so I was swollen from my face to my toes. I was supposed to be walking with a walker due to a pelvic problem (related to the pregnancy), but since I was carrying my daughter I could not be bothered with a walker! My daughter was tired and was rudely whining. Finally, after what seemed like a very long time and much pain, we had made it to the pharmacy.

I was at the pharmacy to pick up a prescription of Zofran. I was prescribed this drug to keep myself from vomiting around the clock. Yes, even in this advanced stage of pregnancy, I was still having severe morning sickness. I hand landed myself in the hospital several times throughout the past few months because of dehydration from the morning sickness. My insurance did not approve paying for the Zofran, which was several hundred dollars for about two weeks' supply. A social worker spoke to the pharmacy on my behalf while I was in the hospital and the pharmacy agreed that I could pay for the Zofran at cost, which was only about $30.

Walking into the pharmacy, I glanced at the sofas in the waiting area to see if there would be a spot for me to sit down after getting my prescription. There was a couple with their young son sitting on one small sofa, and two old ladies reading magazines on the other. A teenage boy occupied the chair in the corner. I hoped that someone would not be rude and offer his or her seat for me and my daughter. My pelvis felt like it was on fire and my daughter did not want to be still. Knowing that she would rudely run like a banshee throughout the pharmacy if I let her free, I held onto her as best as I could.

I approached the counter and noticed that the people working were people I had never seen before. It was the weekend, and I had never filled a prescription on the weekend. The elderly lady that approached me already had a frown on her face. She greeted me with a rude, "Name?"

I told her my name and she glanced at the rack where they kept filled prescriptions. "Spell it," she rudely ordered, as she looked at the computer screen in front of her.

I gripped onto my wiggling and whining child and tried to be patient. "C-A-R-L-E-Y."

She looked behind her at a pharmacist. "What is this?" she barked.

The pharmacist came over and said, "We didn't fill it because the insurance company doesn't cover it."

I said, "Yes, I know. I've had this filled her many times before. I always pay for it, but -"

The old lady interrupted me and said, "It will be twenty minutes." She briskly walked away.

I walked to the waiting area, hoping that someone would offer me a seat. No one did. My daughter was crying, I felt like I could no longer stand, and someone finally got up to get their prescription. I quickly took the seat and tried to soothe my over-tired daughter. I glanced at the clock and saw that I had to pick up my hubby in five minutes. I pulled out my cell phone and tried to place a call to tell him we'd be late. No service here in the hospital. Hopefully he would wait a little before he attempted to walk home.

My daughter soon fell asleep in my lap and I leafed through a magazine, not really seeing the words. I kept looking at the clock. Twenty minutes finally passed, and still no one called my name. I got up and asked if my prescription was done. The rude elderly woman said, "This is going to be a lot of money, and we can't fill the entire prescription."

I said, "It should only be about 30 bucks. I get my prescription here all the time -"

The old lady interrupted, "I don't know where you are getting $30. This is going to cost you $120."

I tried again, "No, a social worker had talked to someone at the pharmacy and I get a two week supply at cost."

She said, "I don't see anything here saying that. You need to talk to your doctor about getting a different medicine that doesn't cost so much."

I was losing my patience. "There is no comparable drug. I have tried others. This is the only one that works. It is the one he PRESCRIBED." I was gritting my teeth. I did not care if I was now being rude. My daughter was starting to wake up and whine again. My hips felt like they were going to crack.

The old lady replied, "Well, I don't know any social worker and I don't know who she talked to. The pharmacy doesn't make money if you are buying things at cost." She held the prescription in her hand like I was going to snatch it from her.

I had enough. My husband was probably well on his way home by now, my daughter was kicking my pregnant belly in an effort to get down, and I had no idea how I was going to get back to the car after I finally worked out this mess. I very rudely yelled, "FIRST of all, it is NONE of your business what medication I take. All you need to know is that is was prescribed to me and YOU are to FILL it! Second, you need to talk to a manager or something, because I am NOT paying you that much money for a few pills because that was NOT the deal! I don't give a damn how much your pharmacy makes ripping off people - you need to figure this out and figure it out NOW!"

She turned around in a huff and talked in hush tones to a different pharmacist. The pharmacist got on a phone. The rude old lady did not return to the counter. I briefly wondered if they were calling security. I could feel everyone's eyes on me and my wailing daughter. I was too angry to care.

Another pharmacist kindly told me to have a seat. I returned to the waiting area, where, of course, there were no seats available. I shook my head and rolled my eyes. The pain was so intense that I felt like crying. I leaned up against a wall and then asked a man if I could please sit down. He said nothing but got up and walked across the pharmacy. Oh well, at least I could sit down. No sooner than I sat down than the elderly lady called my name.

I crossed the floor to the counter ready for another battle. As if she had taken a magic potion, she was completely different than before. "I'm so sorry about the misunderstanding," she cooed.

"There was no misunderstanding. You just wouldn't listen," I growled.

She said, "I apologize." She told me the total and asked if I needed anything else.

"No thank you, you've done quite enough, unless you want to track down my husband and explain to him why he's walking home after a long day at work. This is ridiculous," I said rudely as I paid.

She handed me the change and I whipped around, furious. "And the next time when a pregnant woman is standing with a restless toddler, the least you people can do is offer her a seat!" I yelled as I walked past the waiting area. People stared, some mouths agape, like this was the first time they'd ever seen me.

I limped out of the pharmacy with my child and my prescription. As incredibly rude as I was, I felt justified. Luckily I had an emergency c-section within two weeks and never had to go back to that pharmacy again!