Did you forget who’s site you’re reading?  Of course not!  No, it could not be that simple.  So, three hours and $47 later, I’m finally home.

All I had to do, this very simple task that was required of me, was to go to Hermann Hospital, pick up my x-rays for my appointment tomorrow at the VA and come home.  The hospital is just down the street from me and the cab fare runs about $6 each way.

I, innocently enough, contacted the cab company I have been using, as I have been extremely pleased with them so far, and asked for a cab to take me there...to this simple, 15 minute job and back.

Cab shows up, I tell him, “I need to go to Hermann Hospital, Professional Building One.” Okay, and we’re off.

The driver starts out okay but then I realize, “This doesn’t look right” but I’m new to Houston and don’t know every road and kept quiet for a bit.  When the cab fare started reaching $10 though, I spoke up.

The driver said, “This is the fastest way, do you want to go down Shepard or Shaw?”

Hell if I know....and the last thing I want to do is let the cab driver know that I don’t know my way around...do that and they will rip you off.  Any travel book will tell you that and experience has taught me that as well.  So I simply replied, “I just want the fastest way to Hermann Hospital....and this isn’t it cause we should have been there by now.”

The driver told me, in a huff, that he was doing it right.

The fare climbed higher.  I said, “Look, this is ridiculous, my cab fare has never been this high going to Hermann Hospital.  It’s usually $6....you’re approaching the fare it costs me to get to the VA!  This is wrong!”

Driver snaps, “Oh that’s a lie!  I don’t know what kind of scam you’re trying to pull but it never costs only $6 to get to Hermann Hospital!”

Back and forth we went, the more he accused me of lying, and frankly, the moment he said, “You’ll never make it in this world with the scams you’re trying to pull, I’m going to call the authorities” was the moment I got livid.

I stopped being nice at that point.  We get to Hermann MEDICAL Center and I said, “This is NOT the right place!  Where the hell have you taken me?  You are a very, very dishonest person!  I dare you to call the authorities and I want your dispatcher’s name as well.”

He pulled up in the valet parking, I got my money out and demanded a receipt.  He said, “I"ll never pick you up again.”

I said, “You’re DAMN straight you’ll never pick me up again [his name]!”

The fare was $22.30....a far cry from the usual $6.

I go inside, frustrated and not knowing where the hell I am, and ask a nurse to help me.  She helps me out and I get on the phone to the cab company again.  I tell them what happened and that I now need a cab back to where I was supposed to be dropped off in the first place!

Another fare of $20....just to get back.

Long story short, I get to Hermann Hospital Professional Bldg One and go up to get my x-rays.

And this is where you would think the story ends.

Silly, silly reader.  This is me we’re talking about.  Things just don’t go that smoothly...c’mon now, how long you been reading my stuff?

I get upstairs and state why I’m there.  They ask if I had called first.  You bet I did.  When you are on crutches and everything takes three times as long, you call so as not to waste a trip.  I’m told to have a seat and they’ll bring them out to me.

X-ray guy comes out.  “Sorry but the doctor is in surgery and he has your x-rays...I forgot that when you called.  So, since you made the trip down here” (if he only knew!), “we’re going to take more x-rays and we won’t charge you for them.  C’mon back.”

This is where I started laughing.....as I toed the line of insanity.  The whole point of this damned trip was so that I wouldn’t have to get x-rays done again.

Got the x-rays done and went back out to the waiting room to wait.  I waited about 10 minutes and the guy came out with the x-rays.  I called the cab company again to get me home.

On my way to the bench outside, I was approached by a woman who gave me her sob story about how she was poor and couldn’t get food stamps because of a felony and etc, and did I have any money at all to spare.

Lady.  I told you the truth.  I know you don’t believe me but I did.  I really did just spend all my money on fricken cab fare because the driver was an idiot and I really didn’t have any money to spare.  Any other time, I might have given her a couple bucks or so but.....oh well.  I know she thinks I was lying.  Everyone thinks I was lying today.

All I did was get up and try to get x-rays.  Try to be responsible and help out the VA so they wouldn’t have to do it.  I could have very easily just said, “Ah, screw it, let them take x-rays tomorrow” but they asked me if I would be willing to go get them and it’s the least I could do I thought considering how much they will be saving me.

Maybe it’s a good thing I can’t go anywhere for the next 6-8 weeks after tomorrow’s appointment and possible surgery.  It seems to be much better in my room, away from people.

Should anyone be reading this incorrectly, as some are bound to do, based on experience with emails, this whole crap is funny to me now.  I was pissed but I’m laughing as I write this because it was just so ridiculous.

Oh and yes, the cab company is going to reimburse me.

I’m going to bed now.