There were many things Joanna Thompson noticed about her new neighbourhood compared with the cramped, dirty and often dangerous surrounds of downtown Sim City and that was how open and green everything was in Willow Creek and, another thing, how polite the local children were. Back in the slums, the children would either retreat into the protection of doorways or the shadows and if some felt brave, or cocky enough to speak to you it was generally with a threat or insult. As Joanna took a morning run around Foundry Cove a little girl said a cheerful "hello" to her before stopping to talk with a friend of hers. That was another thing she noticed: A white kid and a black kid talking nicely to each other. Wouldn't have happened back in the slum.
She had jogged down to the river and had began her turn towards home when she noticed the mailman putting something in her letterbox. Instinctively she ran back as fast as she could because back in the slums mail in a street box wouldn't last long before someone grabbed it in the hope it contained a cheque or something else of value. Opening up the mailbox, she saw a couple of official looking letters inside.
Her heart beat quicker as she was hoping one of them was a response to her application for a student scholarship. She had barely qualified for one; helping people from a poor background get funding for college education, but had filled in all the requisite forms and lied about her previous employment just to get a shot at going to college. She had a bit of her late uncle's inheritance left, but most of that had gone into buying the house.
She went inside and opened up the first letter. Yes, it was a letter informing her that she had, indeed, qualified for a scholarship. Not a big one, but enough of one to take the edge off the college fees. That was a relief and it allowed her to focus on the courses she had applied for.
The second letter was from a local health club offering a free trial workout session. Well, that might come in handy...
Joanna was always one for fitness. Even in her previous job she had to remain fit and fast in order to evade the most brutal of clients...or pimps. Learning how to pack a punch and run away fast was key to surviving on the streets. Now she could keep fit without that kind of worry anymore and a free session at the gym? Well, perks of moving up in the world. The streets were now fast receding into the memory.
When Joanna entered the gym she was impressed with all the equipment on offer, the spaciousness but above all...just how clean the locker room area was compared with the only other gym she'd ever been in which was at the Spice Quarter YWCA. She slung her bag with all her everyday clothes in a locker, inserted a dime into the lock, hoping it wouldn't be prised open by some opportunistic thief, and made her way downstairs to start a work out.
There was one treadmill free; one of those fancy ones where it was powered and you could adjust the speed. She recognised the blonde chick from over the road from where she lived but apart from that there was only one other person there: A super muscly man who was barking encouragement towards the neighbour.
Joanna got on the remaining treadmill, turned the dial to a moderate speed and pushed the button to get it going. As she was getting up to speed the muscly man spoke to her.
"Pick your feet up and remember to breathe steadily....set the machine to one faster" he said.
Joanna shot him a quizzical and suspicious look.
"Oh, I'm Movers n' Shaker's personal trainer, Clinton. I advise people on fitness" he said by way of explanation.
"That explains things" replied Joanna.
She continued with her run until the wall clock reached to 30 minutes past the hour and she decided she'd done enough. She brushed her sweaty forehead with her sleeve and noticed that Clinton was approaching her.
"You'll find a water cooler just over there and there's another one upstairs in the lounge area." he said, being helpful but looking her up and down at the same time. "Complementary towels are on that shelf over there but most members prefer to bring their own. So, I don't believe we've seen you in here before."
"You haven't" she replied, coolly. "I got a ticket for a free workout session in the post" she pulled the ticket out of her training top pocket.
"I hope you like what you see" he said, leaning against a treadmill. "Treadmills, weights, calisthenics...we're well set up here. Soon we'll be getting a climbing wall...powered; first city in the state to get powered climbing walls." Clinton sounded overly proud at this.
"I see you have punching bags as well" said Joanna, noticing people having a spar with them.
"Not much escapes your attention..." replied Clinton. "And of course there's the social benefits of being a member of a gym" he said, checking out a curvaceous blonde woman who had just come downstairs from getting changed into her exercise leotard. She saw him and gave him a cute wave and smile, he waved back. "Yeah....the social benefits. So can I interest you in signing up for membership today?"
"I'll think about it. As for the social side, I see a couple of people I know over there..." she said.
She saw Action working out with weights and the blonde chick who lived opposite but whose name escaped her. As Clinton's attention was split between the curvaceous blonde and giving Action some encouragement, Joanna had the opportunity to say hello to him.
"You a regular here, Action?" she asked.
"I practically live here" he replied. "Haven't seen you for a while...are you keeping your nose clean?"
"Suspicious as ever, Action. Yeah, I'm staying out of trouble...thank you. Been concentrating on my college applications."
"So you're serious about this, are you? So what are you going to study? Have you worked that one out yet?"
"Yeah, I'm gonna study psychology" she replied with some pride in her voice. Action still seemed sceptical about her moving into a smart new home and going to college. All those years in the Marines and the Police Force had left him cynical.
"Psychology? I didn't figure that would be the one you'd go for". The cynical part of his mind drew a parallel between analysing patients lying on a couch to the kinds of things she used to do with clients whilst on a couch...Stop it, Action, he thought. You can't condemn the girl just because she was a hooker.
"I'll let you know how I get on." she said, smiling at him in a way that would put him in his place for daring to question her intentions. She nodded thanks to Clinton as well and went upstairs to use the showers and get changed into her everyday clothes.
She had just finished tugging her thigh length boots as far as they could go up her legs when her neighbour entered the locker room looking flushed and out of breath. If only she could remember her name: It was something to do with nature or the country...
"Oh hello neighbour!" said the neighbour, suddenly becoming bouncy and enthusiastic on seeing Joanna. "Is this your first time here?"
"Yep. It's not too bad. That Clinton guy is trying to give me the hard sell to join"
"Oh him...he's always like that. But this place is good and most of us from around here are members. You should join; Libs and I, Action and Jeremy and Barbara are all regulars. Julia pops in occasionally. And there's lots of other really groovy people here as well so it's a good way of making friends."
Was it 'Meadow', 'Cloud' or 'Autumn'? Joanna tried to remember the name of this very enthusiastic and friendly girl. She could imagine Disney animals frolicking around this chick, such was her bubbliness.
"That's an incentive, for sure. I only really know Action...I'm sorry, but I've forgotten your name" said Joanna.
"It's Summer. I live with Liberty and Travis"
"Of course, Summer. Yeah, and Julia's the doctor and Barbara owns a shop with her boyfriend?"
"Yep, that's us! Say, you should come over for coffee some time...we're a nice little community and it'd be great to bring you in to it."
Joanna nodded but the thought of being in this quaint, white picket suburban neighbourhood with a 'community' filled her with a mixture of dread and awe. This was a world far removed from all her life experiences so far. People like Summer might take it for granted but friendly neighbourhoods, clean gyms and....trees and grass and flowers seemed like Sitcom Land, not her reality.
"Yeah, I'd be up for that. I'm kinda busy right now with college applications and stuff but, sure, let's make a date for coffee" she said, after a short pause.
"Looking forward to it!" exclaimed Summer. As Joanna made her way out of the locker room she paused and turned back to look at Summer...she was giggling and looking at her left hand, twirling it around in front of her face before shutting her eyes and smiling with a blissful look on her face. "Straight outta Disney", Joanna thought.
Her next port of call was the library next door. She had applied to study psychology to both city universities: University of Britechester and Foxbury Academy and now she wanted to learn more about both places and also a bit about psychology as well. Why she had chosen that to study was a mystery to Action but also something that came from her gut instead of her head. She wanted to know what made people tick, about personality and identity. It was an interest she had long harboured but it was always pushed to the back of her mind as life...and the nature of her work...always got in the way. No longer: She was now following a desire of the heart.
When Joanna stepped into the library a thought occurred to her: She had never been in a library in her life before. She had an idea from movies and TV shows about what you did in one...mainly stay silent but she had a guess that the books were in sections and she just had to walk up and down the shelves until she found the section she was looking for. There was a librarian present, but he looked nerdy and preoccupied and she didn't want to look like she needed help so walking up and down the aisles, looking carefully in each section it would be.
Eventually she emerged with a small stack of books about each university and a guide to campus life in general. She had also found a beginner's guide to psychology and decided to get that one as well. Sitting down at the desks she worked out that Britechester was more traditional, longer established but had an excellent academic reputation with chances of joining fraternities and sororities and making business contacts for life. Foxbury, by contrast, was newer, less formal and had an excellent reputation in science and engineering. The guide to campus life featured lots of photos of preppy types with Brylcreemed hair for the guys and massive beehive hairdos for the girls. The front of the book said it had been published in 1961 and Joanna had vague memories of her teenage self squeezing into a figure hugging dress that came just below her knees and the massive amount of hairspray her guardian used to spray on her hair right before a local dance...'61: The time of Camelot in the White House, Bay of Pigs, the Madison and Chubby Checker. Joanna looked away from the book and stared at the bookshelf lined walls opposite her. 1961 was also the first year she had fallen into prostitution...16 years old, her big brother already in a gang, Action had gone off to join the Marines and she was all alone: Her guardian mysteriously fell from her apartment window...the police never did find out why it happened.
Snap out of it, girl! She thought, looking at the book again. This is year zero for you, girl. The last 5 years didn't happen. The photos in the book made everyone look white but there was a chapter on how the modern colleges were now helping more and more Negro students attain degrees and all the help programmes that were available.
Hours had passed since she entered the library and she hadn't even opened the psychology book yet. Going back on her plan to be 100% self sufficient she did relent and ask the librarian about how to borrow a book. He was helpful but was nervous whilst talking with her: Joanna, with her scant psychological knowledge, had guessed he wasn't used to talking to young women...especially ones who wore very short miniskirts, fishnets and thigh boots. His awkwardness did make her smile though as he just about maintained his professionalism and composure whilst dealing with her.
She left with her library book in her bag and now it was heading into early evening. She had noticed a bar 3 doors down from the library so she decided to check that out. The Blue Velvet, the sign said and it looked half decent: Not too snooty and elitist, not shabby or a complete dive either.
The music was loud and pulsing and some people were dancing wildly beneath the wall mounted speakers. Joanna made her way past them and the scattered tables and chairs, through an arched opening and into the bar area at the back. There was just one other guy sitting at the bar all by himself and he was closely watching the barmaid make some elaborate cocktail that involved spinning the bottles around in a showy way. Joanna sat on a barstool and watched the theatrics.
The barmaid shook, jiggled and spun the bottles and then poured measures of booze into a cocktail shaker. After stirring it she poured the drink out into glass, popped a miniature umbrella into it and handed it over to the man sitting at the bar.
"Thank you" he said in heavily accented English. Looking at him, Joanna noticed that he was from East Asia and around 40 years of age. As he said thank you to the barmaid, he nodded respectfully at her.
"And what can I get you?" said the barmaid to Joanna.
"I'll have....what he's having" she said, jerking her thumb at the Asian man.
"You got it" said the barmaid and she went into her cocktail making performance again.
"You make a good choice. I recommend" said the Asian man, who had turned to look at Joanna.
"I look forward to drinking it...I'm kinda new here so I didn't know what this place specialises in. Thanks for the tip"
"I am also new here. I am originally from Taiwan but work has brought me here"
"I'm originally from San Myshuno and getting away from there has brought me here"
"Not a good part of town?"
"Definitely not! I'd avoid the lower East side of there if I were you."
"Then I thank you for your tip. We are now even" he said with a warm smile.
"And here's to new surroundings...cheers" she said, raising her glass to his and clinking them. The man, who said his name was Riu, smiled and laughed. Joanna had had very little contact with the Chinese, Japanese and other people from that part of the world. Sure, there had been clients from those parts...but they tended to prefer the more expensive, high class escorts on the whole and her ex-John wouldn't elevate her to those levels. Ugh, drink to forget girl! She thought to herself.
She had a couple of those exotic cocktails and by the time she had nearly finished her second one the place was beginning to fill up with more customers. One of them was her next door neighbour...the doctor...Judith? June? Something like that anyway.
"Hello Joanna" said the doctor whose name began with J. Probably.
"Hey neighbour..." said Joanna with a little laugh. 'hey neighbour'...talk about a phrase she had never uttered before. "I'm sorry, I'm bad with names..."
"Julia"
"Oh, yeah, Julia. Will you join me in a drink? I'm paying" said Joanna.
"Oh, that's nice. Your drink looks interesting, I'll have one of those" replied Julia.
"You got it. Hey, barkeep! Gimme another two of these excellent...fruit punches or whatever they are for me and my friend here."
"Let's sit at a table, we can talk a little easier over there" said Julia. Joanna nodded and they made their way back inside the main dance and bar area and weaved their way through the tables. Along the way Julia waved to someone she knew. Joanna was more uncertain on her feet...2 and a half fruit punches and 4" high heels were not a good combination when it came to walking around tables and chairs and her vision was getting affected by the drinks as well. But she made it to a table Julia selected and just about managed to flop on the seat.
"So is this the local hang out?" asked Joanna.
"Yes. All of us on Foundry Cove visit here in the evenings if we've not got other things going on. I play piano here once a week as well. It's a side line of mine; piano playing. Just tip jar kind of stuff but I like playing and it helps with the bills. I'm quite junior at the hospital so I don't get much in take home pay. Now I don't know what you do for a living..."
Joanna took a deep breath before answering. "I'm between careers right now." she said, diplomatically. "I hated by old job and now I've applied to go to college. To study psychology"
"Hey, that's great! So we're both kind of in the healing business! Here's to you!" said Julia, raising her glass in a toast.
"Thanks. Say, I've got absolutely no experience in college life or anything like that. Can you give me some tips?" said Joanna.
Julia took a big sip of her drink. "Do you know, this is really good...yes, tips. OK, my number one tip is study, study, study. Don't get distracted by fraternity or sorority events. Go easy on the drinking, avoid the agitators and troublemakers and focus on getting that degree with high honours. There's so much to distract you on campus, believe me! Best to put as much of it out of your mind as you can."
That's the kind of response she expected from Julia. Another straight arrow, like Summer and the couple at the end of the road. If only they knew about her past...but hanging out with straight arrows is probably what she needed right now, she thought. Yeah, she was going to study hard but she also knew how to handle agitators and troublemakers.
The evening wore on and Julia went over to see her friend on the other side of the dance floor to talk and then be convinced to join in a dance with this blonde haired guy who seemed to be the boyfriend of Julia's friend. Julia waved to Joanna and invited her to join in but Joanna was not in a fit state to dance...she had drunk so much she could just about walk home. "I'm a little worse for wear..." she said to Julia on the way out. "See you soon and thank for the advice...and drinks..." she slurred.
The next morning was a blur. Joanna had forgotten how she had got home and in bed but she woke up in her underwear with all her clothing strewn around the room. That day was a complete write off...
...the day after that, she had washed and dried her clothes, put them back on and took a walk outside to clear her head and enjoy another blue sky, green grass moment in Foundry Cove. The tree at the end of the road dwarfed all other vegetation and had exotic, coloured fungi covering the middle section of its trunk. Joanna wondered why this tree was so different to every other one here.
From a distance she saw the mailman on his round. Hopefully she had a response from either Britechester U. or Foxbury. Her heart started to beat faster when the mailman had paused in front of her house and started to rifle through his mail bag. She began to run back to the house and, sure enough, he had put a letter into her mailbox.
Quick as a flash she took out the letter and ran inside to open it. She found a butter knife and used that to slice the envelope open, took out the letter and gave it a flick with her hand to open it right up.
It was from the University of Britechester and it was offering a place on their Bachelor of Arts, Psychology course. There was also a list of semester dates and a separate document detailing campus administration and a form to fill out should she wish campus accommodation as well as details of tuition fees and that her community scholarship fund will cover half the costs of the degree.
She was in...there was no point waiting for Foxbury to get back to her: She knew enough about life to seize the first decent opportunity to come along. Britechester, with all its history, high expectations and snooty reputation was the place she'd be going to and if anyone tried to look down on her, then they'd better look out. Never look back, girl, she thought. No more life on the streets.
The enormity of this letter and what it represented suddenly got to her. All that tough exterior, that instinct for survival and the weight of her past suddenly rose off of her shoulders. She was free and the thought of that made her burst into tears.
It was Julia's first day at work since her promotion. No longer the bottom ranked most junior of interns, she now had risen up the ranks. The last 6 months of hard work had finally paid off for her. However, with more seniority came more responsibilities and with that, an increased workload. With her increase in wages she was able to purchase some custom made protective glasses that she could wear instead of contact lenses...which always ran the risk of getting lost; sometimes inside a patient undergoing surgery.
Dr Murakami, the head surgeon, was at the front desk and she looked stressed.
"Ah, Dr Epstein...it's all hands to the pumps today as the saying goes: Most of the nursing staff are down, sick. Food poisoning after Nurse Newell's birthday party last night. I'm afraid we're going to be backed up with cases today; every bed is occupied right now and we need to clear as many of the low level cases as possible. Here; here's your first patient." she said, handing Julia a case file.
Julia took a look at the contents: "Roy Reece, age 65, complaining of abdominal pains. Roy Reece? That name seems familiar" she muttered to herself.
She walked off towards Bed One, reading the notes all the way. Fortunately for her, she knew the hospital layout intimately and didn't accidentally collide with anything as she was walking and reading. Inside the room was an elderly man with a long, full beard and prominent chin who was looking miserable.
"Mr Reece...I'm Doctor Epstein and I'll be handling your case today. How are we feeling right now?"
"In pain...annoyed...breathing hurts right now...and I just want to get out of here" was his surly reply.
"I understand and hopefully we will get to the bottom of what's troubling you so we can cure you and send you home. Now I have a feeling we've met before..."
"Hmm, yes, there's something familiar about you too. Maybe you've seen me at one of my gigs." he said.
"Are you a musician?" asked Julia.
"Yes. Jazz. I'm the leader of Roy Reece And His Ragtime Rascals"
"Oh yes, now I remember. We met briefly in the music room at the Casbah Gallery." said Julia, recalling that not only had she met Mr Reece, he had been quite rude to her and had her chucked out of the gallery's music room. But she thought it prudent not to mention the incident to him.
"Yes, we practice there every Saturday morning without fail" he said, curtly. Maybe he had remembered their previous encounter.
Julia began to perform some basic examination of Mr Reece by taking his temperature, checking his blood pressure, heartbeat and gently examining his abdomen to see if there were any abnormalities or pain there. All the while they were having a conversation about Jazz.
"Do you like jazz, Dr Epstein?" he asked.
"Most certainly!" came her enthusiastic reply. "In fact I play piano myself and I'm always switching between playing classical or jazz."
"So you play as well? Good, so who are your favourite pianists?"
"Jazz wise? I'd say Dave Brubeck, Oscar Peterson and Herbie Hancock"
"Harumph!" said Reece, grumpily. "Not Trad Jazz then!"
"I don't know much about Trad, Mr Reece"
"Trad is the ONLY form of Jazz that should be permitted! Brubeck can't hold a candle to Jelly Roll Morton and Fats Waller!"
"Well, that's a matter of opinion...now, let's get a swab from your mouth and get it analysed. Hold still, Mr Reece..."
"AUUGHAAAHHAAAHHHH"
"Thank you Mr Reece; I will send this for analysis and will check on you again in about 3 hours from now..."
"Three hours!"
"See you then, bye"
Julia took the swab to the lab and on her way back to the wards she was intercepted by Dr Murakami.
"Dr Epstein, I have an unusual request to ask of you" she said. Julia was intrigued and raised a quizzical eyebrow at her boss.
"There's been an outbreak of stomach problems at some kind of society do downtown...suspected food poisoning. Now normally they'd all come by ambulance and with all our beds occupied it would make more sense to triage at the location instead of here." said Dr Murakami. "I want you to go"
"But don't we have staff shortages?" said Julia.
"I've got that covered; we have a couple of locum doctors on call and they'll help out. I need a more senior member of the team down there, assessing what's going on and if you can treat them there without having to admit them here that would be greatly appreciated...if you catch my meaning."
Julia thought she did; pull this off and promotion again couldn't be far away. She grabbed a traditional black doctor's bag and medical kit, grabbed the notes for the case and hitched a ride in an ambulance downtown to the Arts Quarter, where the call came from.
She was buzzed in to the apartment and immediately the stench of vomit hit her nostrils. In the kitchen, a woman was hunched over a sink, retching. She saw Julia enter in her scrubs and guessed she was the doctor sent to help them. Picking herself up, the woman wiped her mouth and turned to greet Julia.
"Oh thank goodness you've come, Doctor" said the woman. "Three of us are down with this stomach bug or whatever it is."
"Well let's see if I can help you. My name's Dr Epstein and you are?"
"Fleig, Patricia Fleig." There was a moment of recognition between the two women that, based on their surnames, both were Jewish. "I'm afraid we all overdid it with a seafood platter..."
"Was there much in the way of shellfish on it?" Julia asked.
"Yes, I'm not very observant when it comes to Kosher..." said Fleig, embarrassed.
"I'm here to cure you, not to report you to the Rabbi" said Julia, smiling.
Julia checked out her symptoms and performed an examination before concluding that it was probably food poisoning Patricia was suffering from.
She examined another patient who had crawled out into the hallway to throw up into a large pot plant. Julia had seen this kind of food poisoning before; eating shellfish, if improperly cooked or left out to get warm, could lead to it.
"May I ask what was this function you had here was about?" asked Julia, as a way of keeping the patient focussed instead of passing out.
"Oh...I'm embarrassed to say..." said the woman, whose name was Lauren Storey. "...it's like this. We're a...erm...lunchtime singles club"
"A what?" asked Julia, innocently.
"It's a club that meets once a week on Thursday lunchtime. We're all professional people who are...well...you know...single..." said the woman, almost embarrassed to tell Julia all this. "and we meet up to strike up, erm, friendships."
Julia nodded. "With a view to courtship?" she asked.
"Courtship. Yes...it's all very clean and above board. You see, all of us are over 30 and finding a good man...or woman...is difficult these days with all the work and life pressures there are. Not like the old days where you'd date a boy at High School in your local town and then marry them later!" said Lauren, now relieved to have admitted what this club was about.
"My grandparents marriage was arranged by a matchmaker so I can relate in a way" said Julia.
"I suppose it's easier for the younger generation like yourself with all the discotheques and 'happenings' as they call them." said Lauren. "But those of us who didn't have that kind of scene and who hate bars have missed the bus" she said with a hint of melancholy in her voice.
"I don't go in for all that either." said Julia. "I'm not into the sort of things my contemporaries enjoy. So, I gather there's one more patient for me to see. Who is it?"
"Jude...he insists he's fine but he's just as bad as the rest of us" said Lauren, gingerly getting to her feet and leading Julia back into the apartment.
"I'll be the judge of that!" said Julia, determinedly. She often got annoyed at male patients trying to put on an air of false bravado by talking down their illnesses.
Lauren walked ahead of Julia and led her back into the apartment and to a bedroom. "Jude, the doctor is here to see you" she called out.
A man's voice responded "I don't need to see a doctor, I'm fine!" he said, opening the door and stepping out from the room. However, when he saw Julia his attitude changed. "Well, maybe I should have a check up" he added.
Julia was struck by this Jude's appearance. Tall, slim but well built with immaculate hair, a strong jaw and cheekbones and the smart casual orange blazer and turtleneck worn with crisp pants and pale Cuban heeled boots...even she was taken aback at how handsome this man was.
"Ah, hello" said a now nervous Julia. "I'm Doctor Julia Epstein" she said, getting her first name in there as well. "Have you been suffering the same symptoms as these ladies as well or are there any others you can tell me?"
"I have had some stomach problems but I think I'm over the worst..." he said, smoothly in a voice that seemed to match his looks. Julia took careful note of all this, and what he was saying.
"Ooooooh, there it goes again!" he said, clutching his stomach suddenly.
"I don't think you're as well as you would like to imagine" said Julia. "Now, let me feel around the area where there's pain."
"It's right there" he said, pointing to his lower left abdomen.
Julia put her hands on that part of his body and felt around the warm skin, asking him to let her know if he felt any acute pain when she pressed against him.
"Not quite" he said. "A bit lower"
"Like here?"
"No, lower still" he said. Julia's hands now were below his waistline and just above his pelvis. Any lower and...
"There...not quite THAT low, mind you" he said, grimacing.
"I see...yes, food poisoning." she said, standing up and instructing Jude that he could put his sweater and blazer back on. Fortunately I have some medicine that I've prescribed to your friends here..."
He handed him the bottle and he took it. Again, his hands were warm and the skin smooth. Maybe Julia held on to that bottle a fraction too long in order to extend that moment. Nevertheless, Jude took it from her gently.
"I'll make sure I take the full course, thank you, Doctor Epstein" he said.
"Right, well I'll just fill out some paperwork and I'm done here. I hope you all get well soon..." she said, sitting down on a bed and taking out her official documentation and a pen. To her not-unwelcome surprise, Jude sat next to her.
"Thank you once again for coming out." he said. "Just one thing though; how long before my symptoms start to go away...it's just that I've got a lot on with work right now?"
"Oh 1 to 2 days. Hopefully you'll see an improvement in your health tomorrow and the next day. What is it you do, Mr...?"
"Oh, McKenna but please call me Jude. I'm a stockbroker" he said.
Julia smiled to herself. A professional man of means...mother would approve. She thought.
"I would take the rest of the day off, Mr McKenna, I mean...Jude...and to be on the safe side, tomorrow as well."
"Who am I to argue with my doctor?" he said with a smile.
Julia smiled back but didn't know what to say next. She just wasn't smooth enough in these situations and was inexperienced in flirtatious banter.
"I hope we run into each other again, Doctor" he said. Then he looked at the floor, took a deep breath and looked up at Julia. "May I be presumptuous and give you my business card?" he said, reaching inside his blazer.
"Oh...well...I mean, you are my patient so...." she grimaced.
"I'm so sorry, ethics and all that." he replied, sheepishly.
"No. Don't apologise. However, you are now officially discharged from my care so....let me see...what are the rules again? I can take your card...in case I have any stocks and shares advice I might need." she said, struggling for the right words to say.
"Of course. As one professional to another" Jude replied. "And as a medical professional...if I have any reoccurrence of my stomach problems or my symptoms don't improve where can I contact you?"
"Oh yes...here's my card with my hospital phone number and also..." she said, carefully pointing out a second number on her card. "My messaging service if you can't reach me at the hospital."
Jude smiled. "Thank you. So we both know we can reach each other if either of us need some...professional...advice" he said looking into her eyes. Julia gulped and nodded.
She made her goodbyes and headed back to the hospital for a late lunch. Sitting in the cafeteria she thought about meeting Jude McKenna and how she was drawn to him. Normally she was so career focussed and hated all that kind of lovey dovey romance nonsense, going so far as to join an organisation that was against smut and permissiveness but with Jude it was different as it was different with Vincent before he had to go away. These were strong, professional men, adults not rampaging hormonal overgrown boys like Rez Valdez or others like him who were only interested in her body and sex. No, a gentleman who was solvent and mature was fine in Julia's book. Plus she was now doing well in her career; she was trusted and respected and now she could look ahead and see the possibility of including a man in her life, as long as it was the right kind of man and not just anyone for the sake of it. On top of that, Jude seemed to like her as well and he was clearly looking for a woman of more substance hence his membership of a singles club where he would meet a more refined kind of woman, by the looks of things. Julia was a more mature head on a young body, she thought.
But it was back to the day job and following up on those tests of Mr Reece's she had done earlier. She headed back to the lab to pick up his test results, read them and went to his room.
"Hello Mr Reece. I've got your test results here" she said, entering the room.
"You seem unnaturally merry, Doctor Epstein" he grumbled. "I hope you have some good news for me"
"Well it's been a good day for me but I don't want to make you feel any worse by being too merry. As for your results, well it's good and bad news. The bad news is you have gallstones, Mr Reece, but the good news is that it is treatable without the need for surgery."
"That's the first bit of good news I've heard since I arrived here" he grumbled.
"Well I'll write you a prescription and the pharmacy will send you the medicine you need. Hopefully that will help and I hope to see the Ragtime Rascals, full line up, soon. Goodbye, Mr Reece."
One case dealt with, it was time to look in on another patient; a little boy called Jimmy Gibbs. He had a nasty rash and fever that was bothering him. However, there was another problem to deal with...a woman was in Jimmy's room and it wasn't a relation. Her name was Miss Charlotte Sneed and was a patient with a separate medical condition.
"Miss Sneed...you have to leave this room immediately!" said a stern Julia.
"It's so stuffy in here! The kid's suffering! I'm trying to open a window!" came the reply from an agitated and manic looking Miss Sneed.
"Miss...I have to ask you to leave this room! I need to take this boy's temperature and...what medication did you just take?"
"What? All of it!" replied Miss Sneed. "All of it plus my regular, daily medication"
"Oh no...you're tripping out. I'll get a nurse to escort you back to your room."
"This room...so hot...even the paint on the walls is starting to melt..." said Sneed, in a daze.
Eventually a couple of nurses showed up and guided the spaced out Miss Sneed back to her bed, made notes about her medication being too strong and confiscating the pills she had concealed in her handbag. For Julia, she ended her shift with some rare praise for all her hard work from none other than her hyper-critical boss, Dr Murakami.
She was exhausted and went straight home, not even changing out of her scrubs for her regular clothing. She grabbed a light dinner and flopped on her bed.
She couldn't rest for long as she had to perform a set down at the Blue Velvet club this evening. She was exhausted but at the same time hanging around the house on her own this evening didn't seem like much fun so playing piano for a few hours should boost her spirits, she felt.
Getting up to get changed for the club she thought about what she would wear. Normally she didn't care about wearing the latest styles or dressing to impress but the manager of the club, who booked her to play once a week, asked if she could 'jazz up' her outfits instead of looking like someone just off the street?
But what to wear? Her kilt like skirt was too everyday but her fancy frocks were better suited to weddings. Her blue dress was at the dry cleaners but a couple of weeks ago she had been out with Barbara and Suzy and she bought an outfit on their advice. Maybe it was time to give it a go?
Julia was unsure. It was a black and white top and skirt with matching accessories, an idea inspired by Suzy's mod black and white look. The top was snug fitting and made of a stretch material but it had long sleeves and a high neck. The skirt was short and fitted her hips more snugly and had a prominent belt and buckle but doubts about its brevity would be countered if she wore thick tights.
She put the outfit on and thought it looked smart enough. A bit more 'with it' than she normally wore but...well...why not make the odd concession to fashion once in a while? She thought. Plus...this outfit would be suitable for a date...no! She thought again, hold that thought before it gets out of control!
She touched up her make-up, adding a bit more than she normally wore and then paused before considering her hair. Maybe jazz that up as well? She undid her long plaits and brushed her hair straight. The overall effect was startling to her: A different outfit, a bit more make up and brushing her hair straight and she looked almost unrecognisable to herself!
She noticed she'd left Jude's business card on her desk and considered calling him but thought that was highly inappropriate and forward. The man was recovering from an illness, after all, but to let him know she was playing piano at the Blue Velvet tonight and if he were to swing by they could meet for a chat? No, let the poor man rest! She thought.
It was off to the Blue Velvet and she had her set list planned. When she entered the night club already things were in full swing and there was a buzzing vibe to the place. One or two of the male patrons noticed her enter and their heads were turned: Who was this cute chick in the club tonight? A new pianist, perhaps?
She sat by the piano and played a scale to see if it was in tune: Fortunately it was. Then she began her set with a favourite Bacharach/David composition.
During the song she was approached by someone she knew...Kerry Fry. Kerry stood next to the piano and watched her play without saying anything but nodding along to the rhythm of the song. When she stopped playing she turned towards him.
"Impressive" he said.
"Thank you, I've been wanting to play that one here for some time" she replied.
"I didn't mean the song, I meant you. I dig the new gear." he said, looking at her up and down.
"I'm not sure anyone would notice"
"I did...listen...can I get you a drink?" he asked.
"Erm...not now. I'm still doing the first part of my set. I get a break in a little bit, you can get me one then."
Kerry winked at her and took a seat nearby to watch her play.
She continued to play and after 20 minutes it was time for a short break. Her first priority was going to the bathroom, which was located upstairs at the club, and when she came back down she had found she had made some new fans.
"Bravo! Well done! I thought you played beautifully just now" said a young man who had an air of confidence and swagger about him.
"Thank you" Julia replied, politely.
"Please, can I get you a drink? Will you sit with me a moment?" the man asked, smiling. Julia liked his smile; it radiated charm and warmth. "My name's J and I don't think I've seen you here before"
Julia took a seat next to J. "I play here once a week." she said.
"Wait! You're the one who accompanies Joelene! Ah, you look so different with your hair like that."
"Do you know Joelene?" asked Julia.
"Yes; she and I are Kitten Club members...well, I am, she left to pursue her music career." replied J.
Julia bristled. She did not like the Kitten Club and what they got up to. She was impressed by J's charm and manners but knew that, deep down, he was only after one thing with women.
"Well thank you for the compliments and have a great rest of the evening but I want to catch up with a friend over there before I resume my set. Goodbye, J."
"Wait! What about the drink?" he called out as Julia stood up.
"Thank you for the offer, but now" she said, politely. The less contact she had with the Kitten Club, particularly the male membership, the better. Still, no reason to spoil his evening by confronting him over it. That's something Edna Sneedley might try, but not her.
Julia tried looking around for Kerry but couldn't see him as the bar became ever more crowded. In the end she ordered a drink for herself and walked back towards the piano when she saw him there at a table in the company of another woman.
Kerry noticed that the expression on his date's face had turned sour and he looked behind him to see Julia standing there, holding a drink.
"Oh, sorry! I did promise to buy you a drink!" he said, slapping his forehead. He turned to the woman sat with him and said "My manners are all over the place this evening...may I introduce Julia to you? She's an old friend of the family and plays piano here....Julia this is my...erm...friend..."
"I have to get ready for my next set" said Julia, coolly.
She walked away from his table, deflated that he was being flaky and didn't even mention he had a date. At one time it looked like the two of them might go out on a date, and they had been "match made" by their respective parents, but Kerry often backed away, called things off at the last moment or else went quiet for weeks. Julia had grown tired of his flakiness and here he was, at it again...compliments, promises to "meet up", but nothing following that.
She had about 5 minutes to spare and a drink and a pretzel to finish before she had to perform again. All the seats were occupied except for one near the piano itself, which had one solitary man sitting at it but a spare seat next to him.
"Excuse me, is this seat free?" Julia asked the man sitting there.
"You would have to negotiate a transaction with the owners of this establishment and I believe they would want to charge you money for it." said the man in a monotone voice.
"I mean, is it occupied or will it be occupied by someone you're expecting?" said Julia, trying to be precise with a man who seemed to depend on precision in his speech. His manner reminded her of someone she met in an art gallery months ago. He was someone who spoke oddly as well.
"No. It is unclaimed at this precise juncture. You may sit there." he replied. Julia sat down and finished her food and drink but she was still looking across the bar at Kerry and his date. She didn't know why she took an interest or indeed cared who he was with. But, in the recesses of her mind, there was a subconscious pang of jealousy buried deep within her.
"Sandor 21?"
"What?" Julia was shaken from her daydream and saw the stranger was talking to her again.
"You are Sandor 21, confirm" he repeated.
"I don't know what you're talking about" said Julia, starting to get annoyed.
"Is this not your new form? I have not been briefed about your new appearance"
"Oh, I bought this outfit last weekend. This is the first time I've worn it." she replied.
"Sandor 21"
"No, J.C. Penney"
"I do not understand the reference." he replied. "However, I have nothing to report this evening."
"O....K..." said Julia, backing away. This guy was weird! "I have a set to perform, please excuse me" and with that she stood up and quickly made her way back to the piano.
The second part of the show went well and she made some money from her appearance fee plus tips that were placed in a very large brandy goblet by patrons. She didn't stick around to socialise afterwards...she was done with men for this evening!
