I could feel my heart beat quickening with every passing minute. It was taking too long. I held my breath, listening with half-dread, half-anticipation for the distant sound of footsteps, the creaking of the door, the rehearsed hello. All was silent.
Resigned to continue my agonizing wait, I rested my head on the back of the mauve colored chair and surveyed my cell. The room, painted in a harsh, sterile white, was sparsely decorated. Its largest ornament, a clown faced clock with fat red lips, smiled mockingly down at me. A white desk sat at the south end of the chamber, covered with an array of metal torture devices.
Suddenly the door swung open. A dark-haired young woman, wearing a white laboratory coat and pink neon pumps, walked cheerfully into the room.
“Good afternoon, Jimmy!” she chirped gaily. I forced a grin. “Are you ready to see Dr. Sakalow today?” I nodded despite the fear welling up inside of me.
The hygienist shut the door and walked over to my chair. “Let’s have a look at those pearly whites,” she commanded as she donned blue rubber gloves. I felt the chair slowly reclining. A flash of white light momentarily blinded me. “Open,” she said. Reluctantly I obeyed.
After poking around for a few minutes with a sickle probe, the hygienist stood up and announced the completion of her exam. The door closed and again I was alone, waiting in terror. My heart pulsated wildly. My hands were sweaty. I started at the slightest noise, the slightest movement.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, attempting to calm my frayed nerves. It would only be a few minutes now. In a few minutes, I would be walking out of here. My misery would be at an end. It would only be a few more minutes now, just a few more minutes…
I opened my eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. And then all my fears came flooding back. For standing in front of me was my enemy, the dentist.