Several years ago I was in my orthopaedic surgeon’s office awaiting a periodic checkup and xray for my recently broken hip. At that time, there was a new product on the market for which sales representatives were visiting doctor’s offices to evaluate the effectiveness of their products (an electro-shock bone mending stimulator of some sort as I recall).

On this particular day, a bright young Rep requested to be in on my appointment as I had been loaned one of these heinously expensive devices on a trial basis. Thinking this might be of benefit—giving my doctor and me the opportunity to ask questions together, I agreed. She and her assistant accompanied to me an examining room to wait for the surgeon. Both women were younger than I, were professionally coiffed, made-up and dressed, and seemed to be knowledgeable about their product and how it would be of benefit to patients.

Whilst waiting, they talked between themselves, virtually ignoring me. I didn’t mind, there was really very little I cared to discuss with them until the doctor arrived. At one point however, the Rep turned to me to thank me for allowing she and her assistant to join me in this evaluation. “‘Of course, I hope this is helpful.”

Had she left it at that, all would have been well. But—she added that she was relieved that I had agreed as the ‘other’ patient she had approached in the waiting room was not at all helpful. While rolling her eyes and smirking, she stated that this older gentleman’s English was heavily accented, didn’t use the correct tenses, spoke in broken sentences and was practically unintelligible, and certainly wasn’t born ‘here’.

I had had it with Bimbo and Bimbette, and said, without thinking “Well, I would bet that his English is better than your Japanese”. They excused themselves and I never saw them again. I did end up getting the contraption for free.

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