tinny bell at ten

 The tinny sounding bell on the big church rings for ten o'clock, and that means that the hurry through the rain is working just in time. Cross over the main road, now a pedestrian zone. It is paved with grey cobbles, wet today. Here is the entrance to the fine cafe, takeaway only, from people wearing medical masks to a public wearing medical masks. But take the side entrance, and the staircase that used to lead up to the balcony of the mid-town cinema. The building has been repurposed, and now three flights of stairs up there is the entrance to the dentist's practice.

Walk in, and be greeted by name. They are friendly, and the coronavirus keeps the backlog of patients waiting down. First, there are questions, as to whether or not there are cold symptoms or anything similar. Say that there are none. Pass over the plastic health card, and wait.

The little bit of plastic is returned, and the young woman says  "please go to the waiting room." 

Go, as requested. There is one other person there, take a seat and look out of the window.

Two minutes later another young woman comes in, highly made up eyes over a white medical mask, and asks to be followed to the treatment room. There it is, the completely clean dentists room, there is new equipment there. Sit down on the black chair, and at the direction of the young woman remove the mask.

Then a small plastic mug filled with blue fluid and a request to swill it about in the mouth for twenty minutes. Think that this is a long time, and will there be any of the fluid left in the mouth by the time the time is up? Twenty seconds later, the young woman says that the liquid may be spat out now, into the small basin to the left of the chair. Say that the seconds had been misheard and that minutes had been understood. The young woman says that she had mis-spoken. Then the dentist comes in, explain the problem with the top left tooth to her, she looks and does not really see anything. Then all the other teeth are dealt with at a much greater speed than usual, then the doctor goes away and the assistant works at descaling.

And after five minutes collect the coat from the hook in the waiting room. The woman that had been there earlier is still there.

And leave the practice, cross back over the street and go home.