It was the days off that left Julia feeling at a loose end. She loved her work at the medical centre; it was all part of her calling to be a doctor...a dream she had had since she was four years old. If she had her way she'd work 6 days a week and would only accept one day off for religious reasons. But the hospital trust decided, in their infinite wisdom, to grant her two.
After breakfast Julia decided to take a walk around the neighbourhood. Her alarm clock was set to 5am and after spending months being conditioned to wake up then, when her clock was off she still awoke at that time and couldn't get back to sleep. Consequently it was only 6:30am in the morning and almost no one was around to talk to....except for one person and, as it so happened, Julia knew him personally. It was the local mailman, Scott Urban.
"Good morning, Scott" said Julia as they approached each other. "How are you? Are you on your rounds?"
"Just about to head on to the depot to start my shift, Miss Julia" he replied.
"Oh now, Scott...no need for formalities with me: It's just Julia. You don't need to add 'Miss' or 'Doctor' unless it's to do with something medical."
"OK Miss...erm, I mean Julia. It's just that you're this smart doctor and I'm the mailman and..." he said, looking around, sheepishly.
"Nonsense, Scott. We're both in the League of Decency where there's no ranks between us. I hope I don't intimidate you because I have a medical degree, was the youngest in medical school and completed High School with high honours by the time I was 16." she said, with a genuine innocence as to how she came across by saying that. That made Scott even more nervous, even though she intended the opposite.
"What I'm saying is that despite our differences we share the same morality and dedication to our work and duty. I don't want you to see me as a highly educated doctor any more than you should see me as a woman..."
"Erm...I'm not to see you as a woman?" said Scott, bewildered by that statement because in his view he was standing in front of a very pretty woman.
"No...I am a person, just like you." she continued.
"If you say so, Miss...erm...I mean, Julia"
"Obviously I am a woman and you are a man but I see beyond that shallow classification. Take George and Edna: Clearly George is a man, there's no disputing that, and Edna's a woman but I see Edna as a leader...a trait commonly identified in men...and George is more the supporting, thoughtful one...which is more associated with femininity. But George doesn't go around wearing skirts now does he? That would be ridiculous! SNORT!" she said, with her customary short, snorting laugh.
"I can kinda see where you're going with this...Julia." replied Scott. "Say, have you heard from either of them? Things have been a bit quiet on the League front lately."
"Hmmm, you're right. I suppose they're busy. The last time I spoke with Edna she said she was planning something big. She said she even has a spy in high places who can pass on valuable information to us!"
"I wonder who that is?" replied Scott.
"I'd be patient, Scott...let us await the hour and then we're sure to swing into action!"
Scott nodded and then remarked that he had to be along his way, to begin his shift. As he left Julia thought about how dedicated he was, both as a mailman and an upstanding human being...salt of the earth, as they say. A man who has served his community and country. Of course Julia ruled out any romantic notions with him; apart from the intellectual gulf between them she was dedicated to her own work and duties and had little or no time for romance...if she was to date a man, then it would not be some saccharine romance, no, it would have to be the meeting of two minds and purposes. A relationship based on intellectual and professional respect and achievement.
She walked back home, sat down on the couch and turned on the TV so she could watch The International Culture Hour.
"It was in the Rococo era that art, culture and politics collided to push Europe into the Enlightenment"
"Ah, that's more like it" said Julia to herself.
Over the course of the next hour and a half she had learned a lot about Rococo, Isaac Newton's three laws of motion, the Venetian Empire and the life cycle of dung beetles. She was snapped out of being engrossed in her televisual education by the telephone ringing.
She switched the TV off and got up to answer the phone. Picking the receiver up she said "The residence of Dr Julia Epstein, M.D.?"
"Hey, I got the right number! Hi, it's Jude...Jude McKenna. We met just over a week ago..."
Julia straightened up and her heart beat quicker. She recognised the name and the voice: Jude McKenna was a patient she had treated at a penthouse suite in San Myshuno. She had also been won over by his handsome looks and charming demeanour, as well as finding out he was a stockbroker as well.
"Hello...Jude. I hope you are well."
"I am actually, thanks in large part to you. I would have called you earlier but I wanted to leave it for a few days so there would be no chance of me breaching your code of conduct in socialising with patients."
"So this is a social call?" Julia was now standing on the balls of her feet and bobbing up and down with excitement.
"It is. Is that OK with you?"
"Oh yes...that's fine. So......"
"I was wondering if you're free at some point today to meet up for a coffee together?" Jude's voice sounded smooth and confident; his invitation too enticing to refuse.
"I would like that very much. As a matter of fact I have the day off so anytime today is good with me." Julia picked up the phone and started to pace up and down in the living room.
"Do you know the South Square Coffee shop in Windenburg?"
"Yes, I know it."
"Say we meet there at 10? How does that sound"
"Yes" Julia said, with a croak in her voice as she was eagerly anticipating this get together.
"I'll see you at 10 then"
"Bye bye" and with that, Julia put the receiver back down and then did a little jump in excitement. When she had calmed down, she thought about what she should wear. Jude had only ever seen her in medical scrubs so she wanted to give a good impression. Her new black and white outfit was rejected for being too trendy, her red outfit rejected for not looking smart enough and her blue dress was rejected as a) it bared some of her shoulders and that would give off the wrong vibe and b) it was still at the dry cleaners. In the end she thought her black turtleneck sweater and red plaid skirt would be good enough. After all, this was just meeting for coffee, not a dinner date at Chez Llama.
She wasted no time in getting to the Olde Platz in Windenburg and she found him standing outside of the coffee shop, looking even better than she remembered when she first met him. On that occasion he had a bout of food poisoning and didn't look his best...
"You look even better out of your scrubs, if I may say so. That outfit suits you very much" he said with a broad smile on his face.
"Thank you. You look very smart as well" Julia replied, noticing how his blazer accentuated his broad shoulders.
"Shall we step inside?" he said, gesturing with an outstretched hand towards the café. Julia nodded and he ushered her inside, taking care to open the door for her.
They found an empty table and Jude asked Julia what she would like, to which she replied a Cappuccino. "A woman of fine tastes" he remarked. "I'll go and get them" he said, making his way to the counter. As she watched him saunter to the counter and ordering the drinks she noted the confident stride to his step. This man was at ease in the world, she thought. Looking around the shop she was less impressed by the unwashed tables, a puddle on the floor and windows that were streaked in dirt. She was wondering what public health violations lay in this place...
He returned with the coffees and she put thoughts of the shop's hygiene behind her. Sipping the drink she may have had reservations about the cleanliness here, but they sure made a good cup of coffee.
"I trust you're all better?" asked Julia.
"Oh yes, fit as a fiddle. I won't be requiring your healing abilities, Julia." he quipped.
"So are you back at work...you're a stockbroker if I remember?" she asked.
"Yep. And I was back in the office first thing last Monday. I can't afford to take sick days in my line of work"
"Nor mine. If I go down with an illness I self-diagnose and treat myself...and knowing what I know about medicine I can worry about what I've got as well! SNORT!"
"Ah, yes...ha-ha" Jude's laugh was thin, more out of politeness than being amused. "I'm lucky to have caught you on a day off; I guess working as a doctor keeps you very busy." he remarked.
"Very much so. How about your work, is that busy right now or is it always busy?"
"Usually very busy but I can afford to relax today because this week I pulled off a deal that netted my company $100,000" he said, saying that number in a voice loud enough so that the other patrons in the coffee shop could hear him.
"I see. Very impressive." said Julia, noticing that Jude was puffing himself up there a bit. Clearly a man proud of his work and achievements but also displaying a need to show off. Julia finished her coffee but wanted another one so she asked Jude if she could buy him one.
"A lady buying a gentleman a drink? I don't think so" he said.
"I insist. I want to do things equally." Julia replied.
"Are you by any chance a suffragette?" he quipped.
"That was to secure women the vote, I just want to buy us coffees."
"Well, it is unusual but this is a bit of women's emancipation I can get on board with" he replied. "Same again for me"
Julia stood up and went to the counter to order two more cappuccinos but when she stood next to it she could see things were worse than they first appeared. The whole surface was filthy with pastry crumbs, spilled drinks and some dark sticky substance that didn't bear thinking about. When the barista asked for her order, Julia was sure to mention the state of the place as well as buying the drinks.
"Here you go" she said, placing the cup down on the table. "I think we've got the only clean table in this place. Have you seen the state of that counter? And those tables and chairs over there!"
"What's wrong with them?" Jude replied.
"They're filthy, haven't you noticed?"
"Pah, just a little dirt" he replied with a shrug. "If I worried about every spot of dirt I wouldn't get everything done"
"It's not just a spot...it's everywhere!" Julia said with a shudder of disgust.
"You sound like my ex-wife!" said Jude.
"Ex-wife?"
"Oh yeah, I've been married before but she was so stuck up and a stickler for every petty thing she perceived as wrong."
Julia had heard enough and she knew that there would be no future with her and Jude. Underneath that smooth exterior was a vain slob who had problems with his relationships. Her heart sank as she realised that this was a false hope she had in him.
"Jude...I don't think this is going anywhere" she eventually said.
"What? Dang, that's a shame" he said with a resigned shrug. He swirled the dregs of his coffee cup and after a few seconds of silence he said. "I have to agree though. There seemed to be something when we first met but...I've been here before with a woman who has strict standards and that's not my style. I'll pay the bill and go. Be lucky, Julia."
Julia nodded and didn't bother to watch him leave. Romance...she and it were not on good terms. Every time...every single time she opened herself up and contemplated a relationship something would happen to crush it. Jude wasn't the right kind of guy, once she figured out where she stood with Rez Valdez he had moved on with another woman. When she tried to get closer to Kerry Fry he would pull away and then there was Vincent...who put his morals and principles first by rejecting a safe life with Julia in Sim City and taking a post with the UN humanitarian mission in the Congo.
She walked slowly to the bathroom as she felt like being sick. Standing in front of the sink and looking in the mirror she was disappointed by what she saw. She knew she was merely OK looking. Summer, Suzy, Barbara, Liberty and Joanna were all the things men desired and when she thought about her other female friends such as Harper and Francesca she had noticed that they turned men's heads and for the first time in her life she felt inadequate compared to them all. Suzy had Neil, Barbara had Jeremy, Summer had Travis, Liberty had Gary and Francesca had Rod. All fine and wonderful men, decent men whilst Julia was only able to attract rakes, the non-committal, the users and cruisers. And then the gnawing feeling in her stomach that she wasn't good enough to entice Vincent to stay in Sim City. Just not good enough; that was how she felt.
"Pull yourself together" Julia told herself. "You're a great doctor, a healer and good...decent. I have strayed from my path, my calling in pursuing 'love'. I've got to get a grip. Yes, it's a good thing I found out about Jude's nature now rather than later..."
She supressed the urge to be sick and stepped back out into the Olde Platz with no idea of what she'd be doing next. She contemplated going home but up ahead she saw her next door neighbour, Joanna, who had clocked that Julia was also in the area and waved to her.
"Julia, nice surprise to see you here. What gives?" asked Joanna.
"Ugh, nothing to write home about. I was thinking about heading home" Julia replied.
"Don't do that! Look, I'm here to meet up with some friends from college...why not hang out with us at the Narwharl Arms for a bit?"
Julia pondered the invitation and looked around the plaza. An evening at home alone seemed too depressing and she was starting to warm to her new neighbour. On the surface, two totally different women but somehow they were forging a friendship and an invitation to hang out with her and her friends seemed like a better proposition.
"Sure, count me in" said Julia at last.
It'd been a while since she'd last stepped in The Narwhal Arms but the place hadn't changed. The bar was the first thing anyone noticed on arrival but that wasn't what grabbed the attention: It was the dance floor and DJ that lay just around the corner that took up most of the indoor area and which was thronged with partygoers and dancers.
Joanna saw some of her friends already bopping away on the floor and she waved enthusiastically at them. A few words were exchanged before Joanna signalled to Julia to join them.
"Julia...thid ng muh fren Smnoe n thid Anhuhuhuh..." said Joanna to Julia but the music was so loud in here she couldn't make out what she was saying. Julia nodded and mouthed a "hello" but any attempt at a conversation was stifled by the noise so all that was left to do was dance.
The physical activity distracted Julia from her woes with Jude earlier and she was finally having a good time today. Another person arrived in the bar and made his way over to the dance floor and he was immediately spotted by Joanna and her friends.
"BLAIR!" they all shouted, simultaneously. Even Julia could hear that clearly.
Blair turned out to be a young man in his early 20s who was tall and slim with auburn hair and who had a confident swagger about him. Julia turned around to get a better look at this new arrival and noticed he was looking right back at her with a slight smile that indicated some kind of approval.
The song stopped and introductions were made. Blair announced he would get a round of drinks in for everyone as a way of making up for being the last to arrive. He finally turned to Julia and asked "and for you?"
"Erm...a white wine, please" said Julia
"White wine, you got it!" he replied with a click of his fingers.
Julia continued dancing to the next song and by the time it had finished Blair had returned with a tray of drinks, which he placed on a nearby table. The group all took their respective beverages but Blair sat down at the table. The last drink left was Julia's wine and Blair waved to her and pointed to it. She stopped dancing and walked over to him.
"Thank you. You didn't have to include me in the round" said Julia, taking the wine.
"You're a friend of Joanna's I gather" Blair replied.
"Her next door neighbour" said Julia.
"Oh, groovy. Say, would you like to sit down here whilst you have your drink?" Blair said, motioning towards the empty seat in front of him. Julia nodded and sat down.
Julia took a sip of wine and nodded. "Hmm, this is good." she said.
"It's a Zinfandel" Blair replied. "So are you at Britechester U. as well?"
Julia shook her head. "No, I'm actually a doctor: I work at Willow Creek Medical Centre."
"A doctor? But you look so...."
"Young? Yes. I graduated from med school only 8 months ago. I went through university younger than most other students. So are you an undergrad at Britechester?"
"Post-grad. I'm studying for my PhD. The name's Blair Herrick" he said, offering his hand to shake.
"Julia Epstein" she said, shaking his hand.
"Joanna's something else, isn't she? I've not met a girl so bold and gung-ho as her? Most freshmen take their time to settle in but she's launched herself in to campus life with gusto."
"She's a bit older than your average freshman" said Julia. "The same age as us, really."
"I still can't get over how you're a doctor already!" Blair chuckled. "But it's nice to meet you. Tell me about yourself..."
Julia, once going with a drink to loosen her tongue, didn't hesitate to fill Blair in on her work, her life, the interesting medical cases she's worked on, her piano playing and the little community of Foundry Cove, Willow Creek. The one thing she didn't get around mentioning to Blair was her activities with the League of Decency.
When it was eventually Blair's turn to speak he told her about his PhD work, in particle physics, how he got his broken nose playing college football, his hometown of Chicago and his family. But most of all he didn't want to talk about himself as much as he wanted to talk about Julia and her life.
"Are you going to be here for a while?" asked Blair.
"Yes, I am having a good time here" Julia replied.
"I'm just going to say hi to a few colleagues but when I come back I'll get you another drink, is that OK?"
"Thank you, that would be nice". Julia watched Blair get up and go over to a bunch of other people in the bar and thought about this guy. So soon after the disappointment of Jude comes a seemingly nice and intelligent man but Julia was also wary given her recent experiences. More people were arriving at the Narwhal, some of them familiar faces: Travis, Jeremy and Action. At least if Blair turned out to be a weirdo or a jerk she'd have good friends here.
Travis saw her and waved so Julia got up and went over to where he was on the dance floor.
"Jules...fancy seeing you here!" he said, his voice raised to be heard over the music.
"I could say the same thing about you men..." she replied, looking over to where Action and Jeremy were. "...guy's night out?"
"The womenfolk are painting each other's toenails and I can't stand the smell of acetone" said Travis. "Anyway, you dark horse...who's that guy you're talking with?"
"A friend of Joanna's. He's a PhD student called Blair"
"Any sparks there?" said Travis, digging his elbow into her ribs and winking.
"Please, Travis! Don't make this into some tacky romance! He's an interesting man and I've just been having a nice conversation with him." said Julia, turning her nose up at Travis' suggestion.
"Never count out the power of sparks when two people meet!" Travis said with a goofy smile and shrug of his shoulders.
"What you call 'sparks' is just romantic gush suitable for the kind of novels you find in airport shops. I see Blair waving to me...I am now going to have a civilised conversation with him followed by a platonic dance."
As Julia wandered over to the bar Travis smiled at how she could act snooty and above it all whenever talk of romance was involved. Julia met Blair over by the bar and he ordered another drink for her.
"So, I see you've got friends here as well" he remarked, looking over at Travis and the others.
"They're my neighbours" Julia responded. "I ran into them here by chance"
"It looks like all your neighbours are here tonight!" he quipped.
"Most of them. They're doing something apart from their girlfriends"
"A real guy's night out, eh? But you and Joanna haven't left any guys behind this evening?"
"I cannot speak for Joanna but I am resolutely single!" said Julia, proudly.
Blair nodded and said "Oh, I get the picture." he said, cryptically.
"I am here to enjoy the night life and meet interesting people" said Julia, oblivious to how she had inadvertently given Blair the impression that she was a lesbian.
"Well, here's to interesting people" said Blair, raising a glass. Julia clinked her wineglass to his.
They finished their drinks and Blair said he had to catch up with some more people he knew. Julia smiled in satisfaction that she was having a good time with friends, old and new. Jeremy soon joined her at the bar.
"Hey, Julia. Who's that guy?" he said, taking a seat at the bar.
"A new friend, and that is all" said Julia, heading him off at the pass before he could add something about 'sparks'.
"Hey, others might tease you about potential boyfriends but I won't. I've been through all the lows and highs on that score." he said.
"Actually, Jeremy, now that you're here may I ask you a bold question?" she said...the man sitting in between them took the hint and left to go dancing. Jeremy looked concerned as to what Julia might ask him.
"Sure" he said.
"I'm not experienced in matters pertaining to...dating and such. I mean, I don't think about it much as I'm far more interested in ideas, my work in medicine, music and the arts and I find all this desire people have to get together to be a distraction and yet....how do I put this? You see...no, that's not it...What I mean to ask is...how do you deal with those feelings that arise when you're with someone who is considered to be attractive and who is convivial company?"
"Now you're asking..." said Jeremy with a sigh. "How do I deal with feeling attracted to someone? A combination of fear, expectation, excitement, hope, worry and a dash of nausea for the most part. When I first moved to Sim City there was this girl and I thought she was just swell...she was beautiful, charming and seemed to like me...then she didn't and I felt crushed...then I went out one evening at Travis' urging and I met Barbara...but only after two other women in the bar that night turned their noses up at me. I thought I'd blown it with Barbara as well but she was still there, still wanting to talk to me and, well, here we are all this time later. The only advice I can give you is that you're going to feel a whole gamut of emotions when you like someone and when they reject you, or break up with you but the trick is...never give up."
Julia nodded. "I think I understand" she said. "Actually, I don't understand much of it but I think you're saying that I have to accept all those unwanted emotions as part of the deal."
"Accept them and learn to live with them, Julia. "Take that guy you've been talking to...he might be the one, he might not be. Just don't go too fast; I think I did that with that other woman...put too much faith in a potential relationship too soon."
"That is interesting, Jeremy. I will ponder your insights" said Julia, looking off into the middle distance and nodding appreciatively.
"Whilst you're doing that, how about you join us guys for a dance?" said Jeremy, jerking his head towards the dance floor.
"Excellent idea!" Julia replied.
"Bustin' some cool moves there, Jules" said Action once they were on the dance floor together.
"And you too" she replied.
"Action knows only one way to boogie" he said, without missing a beat.
The night wore on but Blair didn't return to see Julia. One by one all the friends made their way home, leaving Julia the last one dancing.
Eventually Julia realised she was the last of her little group left in the Narwhal. "Well..." she thought to herself. "A bad start to the day but it has had its charms. I will think further on what Jeremy said to me but in the meantime I will not let one bad date dominate my thinking."
She left the bar in higher spirits than when she entered it but along the way one of Joanna's college friends called out to her. "Nice meeting you, Julia...and although Blair can be a bit hot-headed and impulsive he's a really good guy."
"Erm...thank you for that. I will bear that in mind..." said Julia.
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