Not my usual dentist…
BEEP BEEP BEEP!
“Don’t forget your dentist appointment today!”
“Don’t forget your dentist appointment today!”
“Don’t forget your dentist appointment today!”
BEEP BEEP BEEP!
“Air’n, STOP!”
Izzy begrudgingly got out of bed and did a zombie walk to the bathroom sink.
Head pounding, they turned on the light.
Being careful not to hit the tooth that was giving them all this grief, Izzy brushed lightly and thoroughly.
Sharp pains continued to plague Izzy as they threw on any old sweats and a NIYU alumni crewneck.
“I could've sworn I hung my keys right here,” Izzy thought.
Another sharp pain shot through Izzy’s head as they crossed off November 11, 2021, from the magnet calendar on the fridge.
Today is the last day I will deal with this pain. I can make it through today.
Today is the last day I will deal with this pain. I can make it through today.
Tripping over a stack of intellectual property law books as they headed towards the door, Izzy became even more stressed thinking about how they would win their case next week.
As a pro bono lawyer on the North side of Jackson, MS, Izzy was working with the local city college to provide free legal assistance. One case, in particular, seemed like something worth rolling their sleeves up for to earn a win.
It was the case of Jones v. Sony, a case sure to turn social media upside down. A teenager from Pearl was arguing that a new PlayStation game had used their dance move in a new game update. Izzy had been working with a small team tirelessly and truly believed they had a case to protect black creators for decades to come.
All Izzy had to do was make it to trial next week.
BEEP BEEP BEEP!
“Don’t forget your dentist appointment today!”
“Don’t forget your dentist appointment today!”
“Don’t forget your dentist appointment today!”
Izzy’s Air’n watch reminded them.
“Wallet, cell, coat, keys, what else?” Izzy thought.
“Ah! My journal!”
Izzy had been writing down their arguments and responses to 57 possible rebuttals in a journal they liked to call "Future Tense."
After throwing the journal in their bag, Izzy set off to the dentist.
Incoming call from ‘Midtown Dentistry,’ Izzy’s car alerted them.
“Hello, I’m very close. I’m not even technically late yet!”
“Hi Izzy, we’re calling to remind you that the location of your tooth extraction has changed to our new branch downtown.”
“New branch? I had no idea you all had a new branch?”
“Yes, it says here we sent you an email regarding the change in location last… ah, Tuesday!”
"I never received an email. Honest. Can you just text the new address to my phone and I’ll be there shortly?"
"Absolutely, and please remember there are to be no extra visitors with you at the time of your appointment."
“DUH! IT’S COVID!” Izzy thought after they hung up the phone and reprogrammed their GPS.
After getting there early and realizing they had some time to study their arguments for the case, Izzy realized that they knew every word written in "Future Tense" by heart. Verbatim.
There was no way that black content creators wouldn't make the money they deserved after Izzy won this trial. They were certain they would break the internet in a way that would change the game forever.
Walking into the downtown office felt eerie. It was one of those business suite buildings that always seemed cold, but this was different. For one, Izzy had lived in Pearl for the last eight years and had never seen this building, and secondly, the suite number had them shook.
1313 seemed like the nastiest number for anything, especially a dentist’s office on the day of a root canal. But ever since Izzy had taken this case, this tooth tried to fight back, so it had to go.
After confidently flipping through "Future Tense" one more time in the waiting room, Izzy was called back to the chair where the nurse went through the procedure one more time.
Izzy gave a thumbs up to signal that they understood what was about to happen, and the nurse left saying the doctor would arrive shortly.
Hearing the door open and close, Izzy sat back, closed their eyes, and took a deep breath.
Opening them, they saw someone they had never seen before administering anesthesia.
Frantically, before falling unconscious, Izzy screamed,
“YOU’RE NOT MY USUAL DENTIST!!!!!”
