Really Officer

Thursday, I had my yearly eye examination done. As a diabetic, it is a routine medical procedure that my PCP requests that I get done. Even though I usually don’t have a big change in my vision, it is a relief when the optometrist says there is no change in my early stages of cataracts and that I don’t have glaucoma or macular degeneration. Near the end of my examination, she places several drops of solution into my eyes. The drops dilate my pupils so that she can do a thorough examination of the inside of my eyes. The test allows a search for abnormalities or for any blood within the eyeball itself. Because the pupil is dilated, the person is more sensitive to light and should wait until the medication has worn off before going outside into the sunlight or attempts to drive a car.

I had things to do, so after a short delay, I hurried out to my car and drove off. I hadd the foresight to have a pair of sunglasses to wear to shield myself from the worst of the sun’s glare. I teased when I arrived at my friend’s house, that I had been driving under the influence…of eye drops, then I thought, “What if a policeman had actually pulled me over for some minor traffic violation and asked me to step out of my car? What if he checked my pupils and found them dilated? Would the officer have thought I was a drug addict?” Me, a teetotaler and a person that takes only prescribed medications. Me, a person who prefers to have my dental work done without Novacaine, because I prefer enduring a bit of minor pain rather than to have my lip numb and in my lap for several hours. The drive from Mt. Pleasant to my home near White Pennsylvania isn’t far, but a lot can happen in those few short miles.

When I was a kid, it seemed that my dad, Carl Beck would tell us of wreck on the Three Mile Hill along Route 31, weekly. After I got my driver’s license, it took me several months of driving before I actually navigated that part of Rt. 31. Things have improved. But there are still too many accidents along that portion of the roadway from the its top to Laurelville at the bottom, even with the runaway truck ramp. I can recall Dad sharing what the wrecked trucks had as their loads: toilet paper, meat, beer, and even livestock had been scattered. I remember reading about a truck that had been hauling dynamite that wrecked, not exploded, but that the driver had been killed.