Fio Loses her Cool

Fiorella is usually the one who keeps her head while all about are losing theirs, but yesterday she blew her stack in public--in Georgetown's St. David's Hospital, of all places.

Husband had undergone shoulder replacement surgery, which went well, and Fio was moving back and forth between the hospital and and house, carrying a tote containing her laptop, a full bottle of water, her manuscript, her purse, a notepad, and a newspaper.  It was a  heavy load so she always tried to park near the hospital door, but by afternoon, she had to park at the cancer clinic next door. She was wearing down--getting up at 4:30 am and hurrying to and fro in the hot sun does that to you--so she asked the woman at the front desk to watch her tote for her while she retrieved her car and drove it to the hospital entrance.

The woman gave her a stony look and said she couldn't be responsible for personal property.  Fio explained that her car was around the other side in the cancer parking lot, but the woman just repeated that she couldn't be responsible for personal property.  Fio asked where she could take her tote that someone would watch it while she fetched her car .  The woman said, "Nowhere."

Fio was flabbergasted--and cornered. The boiler exploded and her words came out at a volume she hasn't heard since she trod the boards. Picking up her tote, she turned toward the whole room and yelled, "This hospital has inadequate parking and it will be responsible if I collapse on the pavement and die! F*** YOU!"

Then she staggered out and began her trek, taking breaks every ten steps or so to sit on the decorative boulders and get her breath.

She made it, obviously, but her bad hip hurts and she still doesn't understand what happened because the women at the desk earlier in the day had been willing to watched her tote while she got her car.

Whatever, Fio has a feeling she's going to be called to the principal's office and be told it was all her fault.