For about an hour, I watch the young couple ahead of mebarely out of sixth form and about to become parents.
Not long ago, I was at the gynaecologist. As usual, the waiting room was full, and the doctor was running late. Behind me stood a pregnant girl, probably eighteen, and she wasnt aloneher boyfriend, the soon-to-be father, was with her, also about eighteen. The parents paid no attention to the waiting queue and acted however they pleased. The lad was cackling down the corridor at the idea of having a son:
Isnt it brilliant its a boy? Eeeeeeeeeeee!
He must have repeated that a dozen times before something dawned on him:
Oh, we havent even picked a name! Lets call him after one of the doctors!
He started pacing along the corridor, reading out all the names and surnames of the doctors and making comments about each one. After his tour, he plonked himself down next to his girlfriend and burst out laughing again. An elderly lady passing by snapped at him:
Young man, please calm yourself!
He turned with a look of surprise, eyed her and replied:
Grannys pregnant too! Ha-ha-ha-ha!
His girlfriend giggled softly, wearing the same daft expression. I just managed to keep my temper in check, not wanting to make a scene, especially not in front of a pregnant teenager. Then the boy picked up a new topicfood.
Im starving! Sooooo hungry…
Im hungry and weve still got half an hour to wait…
Lets pop out for a Cornish pasty and come back!
I dont want a pasty.
Youve gone picky! Hoo-ha-ha-ha
All the chatter was giving everyone a headache, but thankfully, the pair wandered offwho knows, maybe for a pasty, maybe for something else, it didnt matter. What mattered was that theyd left.
I shudder to think what sort of upbringing their child will have. Their child will probably grow up just as rude and ill-mannered as they are. Id like to hope the grandparents might step in, but if they raised children like these, I doubt things will be any different for their grandchildren.
