~ TOOTHLESS DRAMA ~

TEACHER: class, tell me-- what should you do when you have tooth pain?

CLASS: GO TO THE DENTIST!!!!

TEACHER: good. now tell me, when. when, class, do you go to the dentist when you have tooth pain?

CLASS: RIGHT AWAY!!!

TEACHER: yes class, that is correct. peggy, can you tell me why you didn't join the chorus of voices yelling the correct answers?

PEGGY: (looks down sheepishly) ummm, cause i forgot!

TEACHER: well then missy, it looks like someone's going to have to lose a tooth!

PEGGY: NOOOO! but honest engine, i brush my teeth. sure sometimes i forget to floss... but i promise... i'll do better!

TEACHER: it's too late! the tooth must go. class, from now on, i would like you to start calling peggy by the name CLEETUS- because from now on she will be toothless.

END SCENE.

but not the end of the drama for poor, stupid peggy.

on friday morning, peggy got her tooth pulled and in her very own naive way she told the dentist that she could make-do with regular tylenol and skipped off to work; even though she couldn't feel her lower lip and had a mouth full of gauze. for two hours, while the novocaine kept her senses ignorant to the fact that her mouth had undergone major trauma, she worked and talked on the phone and printed tickets. pretty soon, she could feel her lip again. then her tongue. then the pain!

pain like she had never felt before in her life!

before she knew it, she was sick, sick, sick. her head was swimming. her face was hot and aching. and the pain was unstoppable.

her friends came to her rescue! picked her up from work, went to the dentist to retrieve vicodin and anti-biotics, brought her saltine crackers and popsicles and put her to bed.

saturday at 4 a.m.- peggy was awakened by a raging fever- body aches- joint pain. she wanted to die. but it was her first day of her "tiny dancers" class at the theater and she just couldn't miss it. so she made the choice NOT to take the vicodin to ensure she would be alert for class.

6 a.m. rolled around and she was getting worse. so she called the dentist's office which had an emergency hotline number to call. the nice man on the phone sounded flabbergasted that she hadn't taken more vicodin and told her that her infection was spreading and if she didn't stay in bed she would make it worse.

7 a.m. peggy made the sad phone call to the director of education at the theater to tell him that she couldn't make it and promptly fell asleep until 1 p.m. when she woke up in a sweat. the fever had broken- but her face was so swollen!

what a sad and yucky day for peggy. ice packs and frozen corn were her best friends. movies in bed and chicken noodle soup made the world a little better. but phone calls and visits from friends helped her know how much she was loved.... boy is she LOVED!

sunday morning rolled around and even though she had a tiny bit of swelling and vicodin still running around her blood-stream... she made it through an entire day of church-- all three meetings and a primary meeting! go peggy!

today, cleetus... i mean peggy is doing much better and has definitely learned her lesson to NEVER put off the dentist again!

~ THE END ~