DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have noticed lately that I am often skipped. The other day, it was at the doctor's office: The lady behind me started talking to the receptionist while signing in, and was then promptly checked in and saw the doctor well before I did.
I did not mention it at the time, but when I was finally called back 45 minutes later, the doctor mentioned that I was late for my appointment. But I would have been on time had the receptionist not checked in the other lady first. Restaurants are the same: My wife and I will be seated first, but our orders are taken well after others are seated and waited on.
What could I say or do at these moments not to be rude, but to get my message across that I have been skipped?
GENTLE READER: Was the lady who went ahead of you clutching her chest? If not, you could have said politely, "Excuse me, I believe I was here first." In the world of medicine, first-come-first-served does not always apply; however, you and the lady seem to have gone for routine checkups, in which case, it does.
But Miss Manners recalls having spent a day with relatives in a maternity ward waiting room when a nurse appeared and went to congratulate a family who had only just arrived. After saying a firm "Excuse me, but ..." to the nurse, Miss Manners decided to finish the sentence with, "sorry, never mind" and to congratulate the other family.