tumbling in turmoil

The grey berber hallway that leads from my dentist's office to fresh air is long and narrow with several doors on either side. I have never stopped to read the plaques on the heavy doors to find out what other offices exist in this hallway. I just know that my dentist is at the very end. Yesterday, giddy with dental grit and raspberry fluoride, I left there somewhat elated. It is difficult to explain how much I love having my teeth cleaned and how much I simultaneously hate it, how joyful I feel upon leaving knowing my teeth are perfect and that I do not need to go back there for another six months. 

The combination of this joy mingled with raspberry fluoride (and the long, narrow, grey berber) created an irresistible temptation. I knew it was risky, that someone could come out any one of those doors with no forewarning and I could kick someone's glasses off their face or perhaps I would be offered a contract to join Le Cirque du Soleil. Anything could happen. I took my chances. Looked both ways and did what I was longing to do... a cartwheel.

What happened was this. Someone did come out of one of the doors, only he came out walking backwards still talking to the people inside that office, and in doing so missed most of my spectacular feat. All he managed to catch was the landing which he interpreted -- as a testament to my grace -- as me falling from somewhere.

I do not know if he had a clear mental picture of where I had fallen  from... perhaps from between the beige fiberglass squares of the suspended ceiling. Perhaps from the sky. What he said to me was, Oh my god, what happened, are you okay? I tried to answer him with the same degree of good faith but was abruptly choked with repressed laughter in the face of his worry. He let go of my arm which made me realise I had begun to lean on him and so I swayed a little drunkenly while I told him, I'm fine, really, I'm fine, and then choked again, tasting stifled raspberry giggles.

I turned to reach for the bag that I had leaned against the wall for safekeeping during my acrobatics and dissolved a third time as I bent to retrieve it. This time my saviour started to laugh too. The fact he did not know what was funny made me laugh harder which made him laugh harder and he walked me the rest of the way down the hall, both of us roaring, and out into the world. 




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