HEY, LOOK AT THAT GUY!

Samuel was not feeling too well last week and was not sure what the problem was. It didn’t seem like it was the flu or a common cold, but people would look at him in a strange way and told Samuel that he just didn’t look right. Most people would avoid him and just walk away without even acknowledging him, which made Samuel feel like an outcast.

Samuel went to visit the doctor at the hospital to find out what was going on. Blood samples and skin tests were done that day to try to determine his problem. Samuel continued to work and go about everyday life, as he was used to doing. The only difference was that his friends and acquaintances did not treat him in the same manner as usual.

Dr. Cummings asked Samuel to come in the following morning to go over the results of his tests. Samuel still felt in good health but he was nervous and anxious to find out what the problem was. Looking in the mirror, he appeared to be normal—except for those red blotches below his eyes. About eight o’clock in the morning Samuel arrived at the hospital and met with Dr. Cummings. The doctor had a disturbed look on his face, and this made Samuel nervous. They sat down in the doctor’s office, and he started to explain the findings of the tests, but for some reason Dr. Cummings did not get too close to Samuel. The doctor explained to Samuel that his blood work was good, and he told Samuel that he was in good overall shape. Samuel could tell that the doctor was avoiding the real issue and he was getting more and more concerned that something was wrong.

Other nurses and doctors would pass by, but none of them would give either of them the time of day.

“Doc, just be direct,” Samuel said, “and just tell me what is actually going on.” However, after sitting in the room for an hour or more, Samuel knew no more than he had before, and he was feeling quite distressed. The doctor told Samuel that more tests were needed, even though the doctor had a suspicion what the problem was. Dr. Cummings wanted to be certain before telling Samuel, because he had not seen any recorded cases like this before.

There was a specialist in Detroit, Michigan, and the doctor wanted to confer with him prior to telling Samuel.

Samuel pleated with the doctor for more information, but the doctor would still not respond. In fact, he would not even shake Samuel’s hand before leaving. Samuel felt like an outcast, even though he felt that nothing was wrong with him. He felt no different except for those red blotches under his eyes.

Samuel was about to leave the hospital when it seemed that Dr. Cummings got a big heart—he told Samuel the type of specialist that the doctor in Detroit was. The doctor looked at Samuel with this cold face and with no emotion showing, and he told Samuel that he believed Samuel had a case of the cooties. He left Samuel, and it was certain that the doctor no longer wanted to have anything to do with him.

The cooties? Why me? Samuel wondered. He had only heard of them and never knew anyone with them. He knew at that moment that his life would change forever. Not knowing what to do next, Samuel left the hospital with the number of Dr. Snatt in Detroit and decided that he would quickly give him a call.

Samuel felt no different than he had before, but when everyone started treating him differently, loneliness creped over Samuel. He felt that everybody around him was saying, “Hey, look at that guy! He’s got the cooties,” and that was not a pleasant feeling. He contacted Dr. Snatt at the Snatt Institute for Cooties, and the doctor said that he wanted to see Samuel as soon as possible. Dr. Snatt even made the travel arrangements for Samuel and Samuel arrived in Detroit early the next morning.

Dr. Snatt gave Samuel an extremely warm reception as he arrived at the Institute, which was the only clinic for cooties in the whole country. It was very small and only needed to be that size because not too many people had ever come down with the cooties.

Samuel had so many questions to ask the doctor. Dr. Snatt put his hand on Samuel’s shoulder and told him to relax, that there would be plenty of time for all his questions. For the first time Samuel felt that, there could be life after getting the cooties.

Morning came, and Dr. Snatt greeted Samuel with a big breakfast prior to their first conference. The question that Samuel asked was, “How did I get the cooties, and do I really have them?”

“The red blotches below the eyes are a sure sign and the only sign of the cooties,” replied Dr. Snatt. “Other than that, nobody could tell that you have them, unless the word gets out.”

“Is there a cure?” Samuel asked the doctor

Dr. Snatt shook his head. “As of now, there isn’t.”

“Why do I feel like an outcast when I am no different than I was before?” Samuel asked.

“Well, most people do not understand the cooties, like all other viruses, unless they have it themselves.”

“But how did the cooties come about,” Samuel wanted to know, “and what can be done so that my life will continue as it was?”

The doctor replied, “Once the word is out and people recognize those red blotches below your eyes, nothing can be done. People who know that you have cooties will be reluctant to have anything to do with you.”

Young Dr. Snatt got married to Jennifer Windell of the Boston Windell family after graduating from medical school. The Windell family was of the upper crust of Boston; they were members of every club in town and lived the social life of kings and queens. Dr. Snatt set up his medical practice in Boston and soon was hanging around with the same elite set of people that the Windells were. Not to long afterwards, Dr. Snatt’s uncle arrived for a visit. He lived on a small island on the lower part of France.

Upon arriving for a visit that should have been full of fun and excitement, he suddenly decided to return home as quickly as he had arrived. To this day, Dr. Snatt does not know why his uncle left so unexpectedly, but he has a strong suspicion that it was connected to the beginning of the cooties.

From that day forth, Dr. Snatt’s life quickly changed. Everybody started to avoid Jennifer, once those red blotches appeared below her eyes. No more phone calls, invitations, or anything else that they were accustomed to. Dr. Snatt’s practice started getting smaller and smaller; patients would call and cancel their appointments and ask to be referred to another doctor.

Yes, Jennifer Windell Snatt was the first known person to get the cooties. Dr. Snatt could not understand what was happening and that was the changing point in his medical career. They were outcasts living in Boston, and things looked more and grimmer all the time. They moved to the Detroit area and started up all over again, except that Dr. Snatt devoted his life to the research of the cooties. He was a very tolerant individual and was not turned off by the fact that his wife did have the cooties.

As time passed, more cases of the cooties would appear, and he would try to treat them, but he had little success. Dr. Snatt became the first specialist that dealt directly with the cooties. He never caught the cooties and could not understand why. His wife did not leave the house much—being the most popular was very important to her. She was still beautiful and full of life, but not having everyone admire her was enough to make her stay in the house.

About two years later, the Snatts had a son and named him Timmy. Timmy grew up and carried on the tradition that his mother once had many years before—friends all around him, telephone calls, dating, and becoming a great star on the football team. There was no sign of the cooties about Timmy, and that was a relief for his mother and father.

Timmy was walking home from school one day and was approaching the intersection of the street that led to his house. Patty and Kathy were classmates of his and because they weren’t as popular as Timmy was, they started to make fun of him.

As with all cases of the cooties, it is unpredictable and can come on at any given moment. Kathy was the first to spot the red blotches below Timmy’s eyes, the only sure sign of the cooties. It was a field day for Kathy and Patty; they started with the jokes right away.

Samuel felt sad again for the first time since Dr. Snatt began telling the story, for he felt that he had heard the same words that Timmy had heard.

Timmy was not aware of those red blotches below his eyes and so he was not prepared.

“Hey, Timmy, it looks like you got the cooties,” Kathy called to him. Both girls laughed and carried on for a long time. It was not a pleasant feeling for Timmy. Just as the girls started to walk away, Timmy rubbed below his eye and flicked a cootie at Kathy.

Both Patty and Kathy went running away as fast as they could. The next day at school, all his friends, teachers, and fellow football players cast Timmy aside. Patty and Kathy also arrived at school with those red blotches under their eyes. Their classmates realized right away that they, too, had the cooties. Life became full of turmoil, but Dr. Snatt, with all his expertise, could not cure his own son. He could only give Samuel advice.

Dr. Snatt switched back to the real reason why Samuel was there—he wanted to find a cure for the cooties. Learning to live with the cooties was like living with any other problem that may exist with any individual, whether it is a physical or mental handicap. How people treat, you will be directly related to how you treat everyone else. What Dr. Snatt was trying to tell Samuel was that it was all right to have the cooties, and in every case that he had treated, people found the belief within themselves to carry on and have a wonderful life.

The strength comes from within that person and not from those around him. Samuel spent some time at the clinic and then decided he was ready to carry on. He left the Institute the following day and returned home.

The hardest part for Samuel is still when, unexpectedly, he hears the words, “Hey, look at that guy! He got the cooties,” but now Samuel is able to hold his head high and go forth.
 
The End

Just Another Left Handed Sagittarian with M.S.
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