Well, this has been new. Last night I stayed at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Carol Stream. I noticed that, even though there are two huge cloth curtains from floor to ceiling that divide the areas into thirds, for some reason volunteers added room dividers next to the curtain.
You probably know the kind I mean - 8 or 9 feet tall, made up of 18 inch or 2 foot wide sections about 2 inches thick, set on rollers. Definitely overkill, since the curtains work fine.
This morning the lights came on at 6 am as usual, but it took me a few minutes to get up and start the morning ritual: remove the sheet I'd tied around the pad, and the sheet I'd folded around the pillow (why would we need pillow cases?) Place the pillow on the pad, blanket (a kid sized Strawberry Shortcake thing, I'm glad it was warm) folded on top of the pillow, next to the pile of linens.
Then I sat in the folding chair to put on my shoes. Which (according to the lead volunteer) was when one of the men on the other side of the divider got up and "bumped it with his behind."
If that's accurate, he must have one hell of an ass, because he knocked the divider over.
Onto the back of my head.
May I say: That fucking hurt. Hell, 3 hours later, it still feels pretty crappy.
Here's what I got from the nearest volunteer: "It was an accident. It was an accident." (All I'd said to this point was "Ow," and "It hurts.")
Here's what I got from the nearest PADS client, someone who goes out of her way to discuss her beliefs as a "Christian", "You're talking and awake, so you're fine."
About half an hour later I requested contact info for the volunteer coordinator. At THAT point, the lead volunteer looked to see if there was a report to complete. Which was better that what PADS clients had said: that I had to drive to the PADS office in Wheaton to report it.
I keep wondering, what if a family with a bunch of cute kids had been lying there, instead of a broke, fat, old, white woman that no one gives a rat's ass about (as proven in the 45 minutes after the "only an accident.")
Then I had to fill my gas tank, drive back to the site because Elle the Ride "sharer" had lost her phone... and actually opened the passenger door to jump out(?) while the van was still moving, and her cane was in her lap. One of the volunteers had her (Obama flip) phone. Wasn't THAT a relief. She felt so much better, she nattered on about how PADS should be run in Elle World, for about 20 minutes.
That extra 15 or 20 minutes getting the phone put us into horrible rush hour traffic, and all I wanted to do was sleep... But I keep rubbing my forehead (the clonk was about where I would wear a yarmulke, if I wore one) and imagining that the top part of my forehead is swelling. I'm thinking I look like a beluga whale. Which would look really cute, in a yarmulke.
I'm going to take a nap now. Or listen to Elle snort. Nap definitely sounds better... Stay well. Watch out for flying dividers.