Sing Hear on the Dotted Line

In Gatineau, flu vaccinations are free to anyone with a chronic illness, and as the king of chronic illness, I accept this tribute to my glory. So last night in the rain, I walked to a local clinic for my annual shot.

At the front table, a nice Québécoise lady offered me a medical form. When I told her that I have trouble reading print, she said, in English, "I'll help you! You can sit right here."

I sat beside her and stared hard at the form. She pointed to one section, and said, "Just write your mother's middle name."

Parental names are standard on Québec's hospital cards, but only first and last names.

"You want my mother's middle name?"

"Yes, her middle name, on this line."

In big, block letters, I wrote, YVONNE, but I still felt that something was odd about this request. And so I stared and stared at the form until I realized that what it needed was my mother's maiden name.