the dentist

Mira has a cavity. She also needs sealant on her four back teeth. Something that normally would have been an inconvenience is an all out crisis.
The bill for the two visits, cleaning, x-rays, etc was nearly $500. Yup. That's a month of health insurance. A month of groceries. A month and a half of Kindergarten. More than a month's salary for me. And that was for them to tell me that I needed to come back and pay them more money.
This is a dentist's office that offers no payment plans. You can "split up" your visits if you so choose, but I don't see how that saves any money. No net here. Nothing for low income or unemployed. A dentist for the well off. Probably one that we shouldn't be going to anyway.
What a fucked up country that we live in! A cavity for God's sake shouldn't cause this kind of set back for us.
And its awful not to really trust the people providing your care. But how can you really? Does a baby tooth really need to be sealed? What to believe in and what not?
I pulled myself together and didn't cry in front of the dentist or the children although I wanted to. Its true that money exists that belongs to us that allows us to pay for this and to eat too. And to stay in our home. But this just isn't what we should be spending it on.
Mira, from the back seat of the car, in her grown up voice that somehow makes her sound younger, offered to help pay to fix her own cavity.
"We can do it sweetie," I told her, "we have enough money to fix your tooth." It still amazes me who she is.

I dropped them at school afterwards. Mira found her teacher right in the front hallway who smiled at her and shuffled her right off to music. She said hello to Eli and told me that she was happy to see Mira.
Meanwhile in Kindergarten...
A boy had locked himself in the stall in the bathroom and was refusing to come out. Neither Mrs. McAdams nor Kristy knew what to do. The kids were sitting patiently on the rug, and Cynthia even got a label for Eli's apple. But she is not herself, not the same Kindergarten teacher that Mira had. A Kindergarten classroom should not hold 28 students. I'm afraid its going to crack this very good and very seasoned professional. Its not a situation that can succeed. That school is so damn crowded, I can't believe any real learning can happen there.
I feel like we are living the American nightmare right now. No money to get sick, overcrowded schools, whopee! Isn't this a great country?!