Close to Nowhere

Son Kris and I rode to Oxford last week to get his COVID-19 vaccination. And true to all the stories going round, he did not enjoy it. He said he was nervous about getting the shot, although he fussed at me monotonously until I got both of mine.

They apparently moved the National Guard Armory without telling me, so I had to have Siri help me find it. I have an Australian male voice on my phone and I call him Kevin, not Siri, but... Kevin directed me to one of those new round-abouts they've scattered all over Oxford. Normally, I drive straight down Highway 7 until I reach the dialysis clinic, so I'm not familiar at all with the "circles."

I have lots of trouble getting lost anyway. Some days I had trouble getting home from the newspaper office. After all, I only worked there 30 plus years. So these circles nearly kill me. Kevin told me to get off at Sisk Avenue and take the third exit off the circle. I've never been on Sisk Avenue in the first place and how in the world do you tell what the third exit is off a circle? I still don't know!

After making a wrong turn and Kevin sending me around in more circles, we finally found the Armory. I've watched the news and seen the long lines and people saying they were in line for eight or more hours. I was really dreading it and the sight of all the cars was daunting to say the least. I was relieved to find out that it was the 15-minute wait until you had a reaction or not lane.

We breezed right though about a five-minute line with the help of the National Guard guys. They were all really nice, as we had no clue as to what we were doing and still being frazzled from out trip around the Sisk Ave. circles.

One of the Guardsmen told us he was a pharmacy student; one was from Oxford and was disappointed he hadn't been sent somewhere "off." There was a female Guardsman at the end of the reaction line. She was nice and very helpful also, setting us up with an appointment for the second shot.

I may have to hog-tie Kris to get him to the second shot. He's been sick since the first one and has become very leery of getting the second one. He has not enjoyed this one.

Next week we have to try and get through the maze of circles once again and get the second one. Maybe he'll be so confused with me and Kevin trying to get through a three circle round-about that he won't pay any attention to where we've hopefully ended up.

And I want to know what's wrong with a plain ole intersection?

Linda Jones of Laws Hill is a former staff writer for The South Reporter. She is retired but continues her weekly column.