A Spot of Bother

A few of my writing group and I entered a story each in the ABC 500 word stories on the theme of Cringe last  month.. After reading them a friend told me her own cringe story recently and I thought I’d share it here.

This friend, I’ll call Beth, had taken advantage of the flue needle available at her workplace. Now Beth had had a narrow escape years ago when she had been diagnosed with melanoma but the Doctors managed to excise it before it became too invasive. She still has a large scar from the surgery. Consequently she regularly checks her body for signs of skin changes.

 Recently she found a black spot on her arm that she thought was dirt. She scrubbed at it for a couple of days in the shower but it seemed to be spreading a little and she couldn’t get rid of it. 

 Becoming increasingly worried – and who could blame her -  she contacted her GP whom she hadn’t seen for ages and pushed to get a quick appointment.  

 She had a brief chat with the Doctor , explaining her concerns.  The doctor examined the spot closely. 

“Hmmmm.” Said the doctor.

 “Oh God” thought Beth.

“What is it?” asked Beth. 

“Hang on a minute” said the doctor and she got a swab. 

 Beth watched in trepidation which quickly turned to a cringe when the Doctor wiped the residue left from the small band- aid that had been put on the spot where Beth had had the flue needle, days previously. The doctor laughed and Beth thanked her and left, clutching her dignity all the way home.