A Day at the Health Clinic

"Patient No. 1", a voice came from the speakers of the intercom placed adjacent to the electronic display board.
I looked at my token. It was number 13. I shifted my weight from one leg to another while sitting on my chair. I rested my elbow on the arm of the chair. I looked at a middle aged man who was sitting beside me with a pot bellied stomach, wearing a formal dress which included a tie. He was looking all around the place. One moment, he peeped to look at my token number. I turned to look at him realizing that he was bringing his head closer. He looked at me. "What is your token number?", he asked in a slow,thick accent.
"No.13", I replied, not looking at his face.
The waiting area was freezing. My teeth was chattering uncontrollably. I tried to stop so that I won't bother the pot bellied man. I clenched my teeth harder but my teeth started chattering again opposing the resistance. I looked at the display board. It was still the same number.
The dentist will take a long time to clean each person's teeth, I thought. I got up from my seat restlessly and went to a spot near the entrance where the sun rays were coming through the window. I took a chair on which no one was sitting and kept it near the window. I sat on it. I felt the warmth of the sun on my skin. It was very pleasing. I rested my head on the wall and looked around the room.
I saw women waiting at the counter, holding the hands of their kids. I saw a man carrying his infant child on his arms, sitting on a chair, waiting for his wife to finish her appointment with the doctor. An old man who looked gaunt with crinkled skin, wearing sun glasses to protect his eyes from the light rays, was taken to the doctor on his wheel chair.
Suddenly, I heard someone scowling. It was coming from the dentist's room. His wails were too loud that I heard it for an instant. I got scared touching my cheek, worrying whether it will be painful if the doctors used pointy objects to clean my teeth. I always wished my parents won't raise the topic of visiting the dentist. But last night, my father when he was having dinner, raised his head from his plate and asked me to go to the dentist for cleaning my teeth. I got shocked as he raised the topic. I made several grimaces to show that I am scared of the dentist. I am scared of him using pointy objects to clean my teeth. I was scared in case the doctor shouts at me for not cleaning my teeth for a long time. But my father did not notice those expressions. I tried several excuses to avoid visiting the dentist but I was counter attacked as he put forward different reasons.
I brushed those thoughts aside and looked up. I saw a woman who was wearing a black abaya, coming from one side of the waiting area, taking some papers from her hand bag. I saw a little girl who was crying loudly walking beside her, holding her abaya. I was surprised when the lady did not carry the child in her arms to make the child stop crying.
Then I saw a smiling little boy who was coming from the other side, running towards his father, who was a thin middle aged man, smiling and spreading his arms to carry the child. Behind the boy, his mother was trotting to make sure he doesn't fall on the ground. Both are completely contrasting, I wondered comparing the sad little girl and the happy little boy.
The boy, after his father made him stand on the ground, started running happily in the waiting area. He squealed happily that I thought of taking a picture of him. As he was walking towards his mother who spread her hands to receive her son, he stopped to look at the girl who was still crying, holding her mother's abaya. He walked towards her deviating from his direction as if he got attracted. He stood near the girl. The girl noticed him but she kept on crying. He smiled at her but there was no change in the girl's expression. When her mother left the counter, the girl continued crying and the boy followed her. He stood in front of her to grab her attention. But the girl went on crying that finally her mother carried her and made her stop crying. She opened the door slowly and went out of the hospital. The boy stood at the entrance with his hands on the door looking at the girl being carried by her mother. By seeing this, his mother got up from her seat and went near his son. She took him in her arms and smiled at him.
That was interesting, I said to myself grinning at the boy's reaction.
"Patient No. 13", then a voice came from the speakers. I looked down at my token number. It was my turn. I got up from my seat and went to the dentist's room to clean my teeth painfully.