They're Free, I In-Cyst

When my friend was experiencing a series of mysterious medical ailments, a doctor recommended getting ultrasound photographs of her pelvic region in the hopes of better understanding the situation. After receiving her results, another one of her doctors asked for copies of the images to look at, too, so she took them to a copy center to make duplicates. Noticing the ultrasound photos, an employee at the store jumped to conclusions and wished my friend congratulations. Agitated by the unknown condition of her health and unwilling to play nice, my friend put him in his place. “I’m not pregnant,” she told him pointedly.

Awkwardly, he stuttered as if he could find the words to rectify the situation. A fellow mortified employee handed my friend her copies. When my friend attempted to pay for them, the second employee said, “Just take them.”

We both agree that the free copies were worth the humiliation.