"Mother is Worried about Me."
The Chicana nurse asked me to talk to her in the hallway outside the Emergency Room. She said, "You look so satisfied with your life. I want to accomplish something, too." I was surprised that she discounted her nursing skills and suggested, "You have already accomplished so much for someone so young." "Oh," she said, "I don't think I want to get married yet." So I said, "You're very young. Once you're married, you're married for a long time. Is there an y hurry?" "Well," she confided, "I have been going with a Chicano for three years. He has a scholarship to Occidental College... he couldn't go there without it. But I want to go out with our intern's roommate. He's so nice. But I can't.
The day before I had heard this young doctor talking to her. He was so blond and obviously on the make. I had signaled to her to come over, and reminded her, "There is a big difference between a man who wants to marry you, and a good-time Charlie.& quot;
Today she finally said, "My Mother is worried about me. I'm not married and I'm 26. I don't want to lose the first fellow, only I don't want to go with him now." That seemed to be an age old female dilemma.
Department of Emergency Medicine
