Falling Back, 43. Have You Got an Appointment?

I am sick and tired of the cars, of appointments, and of just having to deal with people. Since the end of last year, when my car went into the shop, it seems we haven't stopped having one problem or other. All this summer, we've been with one or the other, fiddling with problems they have, and getting them ready for their yearly inspections. Mine had to have gone in June, but because of the lockdown, I had until September. My husband's had to go last month, too.

Today, I had an appointment for my car's inspection. I had recently changed a light bulb that was burnt out, as well as the oil and some filters. Levels were fine. I went this morning, hoping to get that little sticker on the windshield. 

When the first guy started hitting the headlight, I got suspicious. Perhaps they were fogged up from staying out all night in the rain. I went through the line, and the last inspector was supposed to hand me all the paperwork. When I didn't see him reach for the sticker at his station, I felt something fall inside me.

No, my car didn't pass because my left front headlight was burnt out. Either my mechanic had let that slip because he hadn't noticed it, or it burnt out this weekend or this morning. But that wasn't all. In normal times, I would just have to drive to the nearest garage, ask them to change the bulb, and come back to the inspection station. Thanks to the devil virus, I now have to ask for another appointment. 

Why? There is no agglomeration of people. Always, always, when returning after fixing a problem, all the driver has to do, is wait in his car at one of the lines, and he'll be waved through, to check if the problem has been fixed. The driver does not have to go to the office, and is never allowed out of the vehicle inside the inspection garage. Where is the need for a damned appointment if we are not going to get close to anyone, at any time?

Everything now, at any office, is by appointment. No longer can you drop in to ask a simple question at an office; now you have to call and be told when to come. Sometimes, in some offices, that means no one will ever answer your call, or you might get lucky and talk with someone. And then you're told to come in within a month's time, or longer. The idea of hiring more personnel, renting more office space, is anathema to local, regional, and national government. It's better to have citizens wait and suffer. 

Even the doctors will NOT see you, now. They will only see a patient if it is deemed absolutely necessary, otherwise, they will diagnose your illness and prescribe you something on the phone. "Say ahhh. Yes, I hear an inflamation of some kind, probably bacterial. You can pick up a general antibiotic at the pharmacy. Your lungs sound fine from your breathing on your phone. Have a good day." 

I know, I know, that contagion is up, and we can't just waltz in anywhere and everywhere, to mix with a hundred different people. But, at times, and in areas where contagion is low, people need to not have to wait to have their inquiries, complaints, and symptoms heard and inspected.  

Life continues. By appointment.