In Before the Lock

I gave blood on Monday.  We entered the nondenominational church's gym through a single door met by a woman who squirted hand sanitizer onto our palms and ordered us to rub it in.  Then she took our temperature.  If we were normal we were allowed in.


Checking in was the same as usual.  A volunteer scanned my donor card then told me to sit and wait.



The chairs in the waiting area where positioned approximately five feet from each other.  I've been giving at this location for years because everybody is so nice.  On this day nobody talked to each other.



When it was my turn to be checked out by a nurse things got even less friendly.  She stuck my right middle finger to check my iron level.  I scored an eleven.  She said that was too low.  I remarked that I'd had a physical about three weeks ago.  Surely, they would have noticed if my iron was low.

Nurse Terse said, you must be 12.5 to give blood.  (One time a nurse told me my iron reading was low due to my cold hands!)  Nurse Terse asked if I wanted to try the other hand.  I'd already put 45 minutes into this venture so I said yes.  My left middle finger scored a 14.5.  I asked how can there be such a huge difference between them?  Nurse Terse said, that's just the way it goes.



Now I was back in the waiting area.  My fellow waiters stared into space or into their phones.  Things were slower today though the woman at the door said many blood donors had cancelled.



At the blood drawing station they sanitized the entire cot after each donor then waited till it dried.

The phlebotomist was nice.  She even smiled at me a couple times.



Now it was time to sit for a minimum of ten minutes to "recover" from giving blood.  Though I've never felt the need, I cooperate and spend that time drinking juice and enjoying the hospitality.  At this location they usually have a table set up with sandwiches and crudites and homemade brownies.  You help yourself family style.  This day of course was different.  Individual tables with a single chair were set up about five feet apart.  Someone wearing gloves served your snack.



The lady who usually offers shoulder rubs was there but didn't touch anybody.

It felt like Us vs Them.  But who is who?