CHAPTER 46: Natural Healer

 

A day off for Julia Epstein...she hated them but she also respected the Sabbath so she begrudgingly went along with it. But what to do? Julia took her glass of water to drink and stood on her front porch watching the world go by as she pondered how to spend her free time.

"Good morning, lovely day" said a woman walking by Julia's house.

"Yes, it is" replied Julia.

"This house is new...I haven't been for a walk around the Cove for a while so I hadn't noticed this place before" said the lady, looking with keen interest at Julia's house.

"Yes, it's a new build...I've been here a couple of weeks." replied Julia.

"Oh nice....by the way, my name's Katrina"

"Julia"

"Nice to meet you, Julia, and I hope you like it here...I mustn't linger; I have a hairdresser appointment soon because later on my boyfriend is taking me somewhere special! I'm so excited...I love it when men spring surprises, don't you?"

"Not particularly. I hope you have a pleasant time..." said an unimpressed Julia....ugh, boyfriends, girlfriends, dating, lovey dovey stuff...Julia treated them with disdain.

Julia went back into her home and wondered what to do next. She turned on the TV.

"Oh Brad...how could you leave me for HER?"

*CLICK*

"Oh darling....I can't live another day without you!"

*CLICK*

"In these ever changing times we look into the hot topic of today: The pill, mini skirts and the sexual revolution"

*CLICK* and off. Ugh, everywhere there's sex and romance...Julia couldn't stand it.

She had to find somewhere to spend this day that was the least sexy, least flirtatious place in Willow Creek.

Willow Creek Archive

Julia entered the library and approached the librarian.

"Well hello there" said a rather over enthusiastic young man who was the librarian.

"Hello. Would you tell me where your medical and science section is?" she asked.

"Sure...it's right over here" he said, guiding her to the correct bookshelf. "And if you need any further assistance, then just call for Kengo"

"Kengo?"

"Yes, that's my name"

"I don't think I will require assistance"

"If you change your mind...I'll be right over there" he said, with a wink.

Julia sighed and proceeded to scan the shelves for any books on medicine, taking them and putting them in a pile on a nearby desk. She was satisfied she had quite a bit to be getting on with after a few minutes perusal.

There were some items of interest in the books she chose, but a lot was what she already knew but on the other hand the library was a refuge from all the romantic talk that seemed to be doing the rounds right now....or at least she thought it was a refuge.

"Hello again" said Kengo "I hope you've found what you're looking for"

"What I've found has been satisfactory" she replied.

"Can I just say that's it's a pleasure to have a young, intelligent, attractive lady around here" said Kengo, trying to flirt.

"Why?" came Julia's deadbatted reply.

"Well....you see....it brightens the place up for one thing" said an awkward Kengo.

"Maybe you should open the curtains more" replied Julia.

"Erm...I'm just going to put these books away now" said an embarrassed Kengo now and he got up to leave.

Julia sighed again...she couldn't focus on these medical books so she put them away and went for a walk down the road to Municipal Muses, the museum. She walked around some of the general exhibition but nothing was grabbing her attention.

However, she noticed a piano outside and felt a little tinkling of the ivories could lift her mood. Sitting down at the piano she started on a few warm up pieces before launching into Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.

The music soothed her and she enjoyed the feeling of being able to make music...shutting her eyes to the world, she became lost in the piece.

"So anyway the husband walks in and Barry's there with his pants around his ankles" came a man's voice.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" came some laughter.

"Well, it's not the first time Barry's gotten himself into trouble with a woman he just met in a bar" came the voice again. Julia opened her eyes and saw a group of people having a ribald chat right near her. "And can you keep the noise down, lady, I'm trying to tell a story here!"

"That 'noise' as you call it, is Beethoven"

"Well tell Beethoven to knock it off!" said the man, laughing at his own joke, and his friends all joined in as well.

Every time Julia tried something today, it backfired. The rowdy group got noisier and noisier whenever she tried to play so she gave up and began to walk off. The group of rowdies went and sat down in the museum garden and as she was about to leave, Julia saw a little boy sitting on the ground, looking at a book and with a tear in his eye. She felt awkward but something inside her stirred and she couldn't leave this sad little boy on his own without finding out more.

"Excuse me, boy, what is the matter?" she said, rather formally.

"I'm sorry, lady, I didn't mean to disturb you...I'll go" said the boy.

"No need...that's not what I meant. I mean, what troubles you? I am a doctor by the way so if it's something medical I could help?

"Oh, actually...I'm not sick or hurt...actually it's my homework. There's so much of it, it's due in tomorrow and I don't understand any of it! My teacher says if I get this wrong again I'll be put on detention all week."

"Surely the extra time you spend in detention will help you understand your work better?" said Julia who, when she was at school, would welcome any opportunity for extra study time.

"But I don't learn anything in detention...it's full of rough kids who flick rubber bands at me, or kick the back of my chair..."

Julia was moved, by her standards, to the boy's plight. She hated seeing education go to waste. "Hmmm, well, can I help you understand your homework a bit better?"

"I dunno lady, there's an awful lot of it!" said the boy.

"I see your first problem...you look at your homework as one huge pile. What you need to do is break it down into easier to manage sections. Math first, then English, then science and so forth. Tackle each part individually and don't worry about the rest for now."

"I see" said the boy, who could see the wisdom in Julia's words.

She found a place for them to sit and she helped him with each bit of his homework, prompting him to think, breaking down the problems bit by bit so he could understand better and making small suggestions here and there. After an hour, his homework was finished and he seemed as if his cares had been lifted from him.

"Thank you so much!" he said, his face beaming. "Are you really a doctor?"

"I am" said Julia.

"Gee, you're the prettiest doctor I've ever met!"

Normally Julia would recoil in horror at someone complimenting her on her looks but this kid was innocent and was trying to say thank you in his own way. She smiled.

"Well, you're a very smart kid...now remember, break down your problems bit by bit in future"

"Thanks, I will, I got to meet my mom now...bye!"

She felt a bit better for helping the boy and she went home more encouraged. Just before she went into her house, she saw Jeremy Saint wave to her so she walked over to see what he wanted.

"Hi, Julia, I've got a question to ask you and would like your input" he said.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Well, as you know I've got a girlfriend now..."

Julia's heart sank...not more relationship issues!

"...and anyway" Jeremy continued. "I want to treat her this weekend to something special. You know, something a bit romantic"

"Jeremy, you should know by now that I DON'T do romantic. Maybe Summer would be a better person to ask."

"Oh no, that's not what I meant....I want to take her to a concert...a classical concert and as you're a fan of classical music I was wondering if there was something on in town that you'd recommend so I can book tickets"

Julia felt relieved. She smiled and said "of course...well, I'd recommend the Dropov Ballet Company's production of Prokoviev's Romeo & Juliet"

"Provocative Ballet Company?" said a slightly puzzled Jeremy.

"No, Prokoviev...I'll write the details down for you" she said.

Jeremy said thanks and after they had a coffee and a chat Julia went home. As soon as the door shut, her phone rang.

"Hello Julia? It's Francesca here. I'm going to head down to Desert Bloom Park with Rod and Stefanie, I wonder if you're free and want to come down with us?"

"Actually, yes, I could do with a more wholesome scene. I'll meet you there" said Julia.

She met with the Griffith family soon afterwards and it was nice to meet Francesca's husband, Rod, and their daughter, Stefanie. The latter rushed to play on the monkey bars and the play equipment and Rod was happy keeping an eye on her and giving her a push on the swing or a lift to reach up to the higher play areas, leaving Julia and Francesca to talk.

"Let's get some food on the grill because they're going to be very hungry!" said Francesca. Julia and she got some chicken and sweetcorn cobs from out of a cooler box and began to grill them for the family dinner.

"So how's it going?" asked Francesca.

"Awful...just everyone playing fast and loose romantically everywhere I go! I can't get a minute's peace! Is it just me or is this the most sex obsessed generation in history?"

Francesca laughed. "I suppose there might have been a time in Ancient Rome..." she said.

Once they'd finished cooking, they put the plate down and a very hungry Griffith family tucked in and invited Julia to join them. As soon as she'd finished eating, young Stefanie wanted to hare around the park, dragging her dad along. This left the two women to talk some more. They decided to head for the little library area to continue their conversation.

However they were soon joined by a teenage boy followed a few minutes by a teenage girl...one Julia had met before at work; Yuki Behr. The boy seemed uptight and upset.

"Oh don't mind us, we're just chatting" said Francesca, trying to put the boy at ease.

"What's wrong?" said Julia, picking up on the boy's distress.

"It's nothing much...well, it's everything really...I...well....I worry that I'm not popular, with girls" he said, awkwardly.

Instead of getting uptight, Julia was instead moved by the boy's sincerity.

"Well, it's natural for a boy of your age to feel everything is more emotionally charged. It's just your body trying to adjust to the changes going on. Would you like me to expand on this topic? Don't worry, I'm a doctor and she's a nurse" said Julia, matter of factly.

"Geez....well....I mean, from a woman's perspective...and a Doctor's....erm...do I stand a chance with the girls at school?"

"I've learned something in these matters" said Julia. "Work on being the best you can and the rest falls into place. If you're good, and show you're capable, the girls will come to you"

"Wow, thank you Doctor!" said the boy, cheering up. Yuki, on the other hand, was standing by the fire place, sobbing. Julia and Francesca looked at each other and Julia decided to go on point on this one.

"What's the matter, Yuki? Did that rash return? Will I need to book another appointment at the hospital?" she said.

"No...it's not that, Doctor Epstein....It's just that I'm such a failure! My sister, she's doing so well with her music career, she's got all these guys who are into her, she's Miss Popular and she's been approached by Alan Cuffe of Lothario magazine to become a member of the Kitten Club! That's like the hottest, most exclusive club in town!"

"I'm well aware of the Kitten Club, Yuki" said Julia with disdain. She definitely did not like Alan Cuffe, Lothario magazine and young women running around in skimpy kitten costumes. "But why waste your time comparing yourself to your sister? Look at you, I've heard you play the guitar, you are generally what is considered to be attractive to the opposite sex..."

"And did you see the way that boy looked at you! He was trying to say hello" said Francesca.

"Precisely. What I said to him, I'll say to you: Be the best you can. You are not your sister and, frankly, you shouldn't bother with trying to become one of Alan Cuffe's kittens! Ugh!"

The girl cheered up and said thank you to Julia and Francesca. Alone, the two women finished off their dinners.

"You know, Julia" said Francesca "you're a natural healer"

CHAPTER 45: Where Is This Going?

 

John Action stepped out of the Movers & Shakers Gym, ready for the day. It was a rare day off for him; he'd been putting in extra shifts down at the 13th Precinct but now he needed some quality down time. As someone who lived up to his name, he found it difficult just switching off and doing nothing. Sitting around reading or going fishing didn't appeal to him but he'd spent a lot of time already running, boxing and lifting weights that he needed some more stimulation...preferably in the form of a beautiful woman.

His little black book had plenty of names in it and he'd been on dates with Liberty Lee and Jade Rosa but nothing was serious with them. The woman who intrigued him most was the socialite, Katherine Bowie. There seemed to be a deeper connection with her than with his other dates and he was keen to see Katherine again. Using the gym's telephone he gave her a call.

"Hey Katherine...it's me, Action. I have one of my rare days off today and I was wondering if you had one too? You have? How about you and me go somewhere real nice and spend some time together? Well I had in mind going over to the Lykke Centre down in Windenburg....sounds good? Excellent, shall we say meet in an hour?"

Putting down the phone, John smiled at the prospect of spending a day with Katherine.

Down at the Lykke Centre, Katherine was already waiting for him.

"You're a punctual girl, I like that" he said.

"Life's too short to waste time" she replied.

"The very words I live by" said Action, kissing her on the cheek.

They went inside the cafe and grabbed Italian espressos and cannolis to eat.

"Do you think Sim City can cope without you on the case for one day?" said Katherine, teasingly.

"They're going to have to...I have more important things to do today"

"Do I count as more important?" she said, again teasing him with her banter.

"Definitely" he said. The conversation was soon turning flirtatious.

They drank their excellent espressos and were enjoying the playful banter when a woman entered the cafe and, without saying a single word, shot them a disapproving look. Katherine picked up on this.

"What's her problem?" she said.

"Could be many things...maybe she recognises me as a cop?" said Action, dismissively.

"Or it could be I'm white and you're black"

Action shrugged his shoulders. "Does that bother you?"

"It bothers me that people think like that" she replied. "Doesn't it you?"

Action pushed his coffee cup away from him and took a deep breath. "Sure. But do I let it dictate to me? No. I do what I want to do...I'm with who I want to be with and I don't give a hill of beans for what other people think. And I don't think you care much for other people's judgmental opinions either"

"That I don't....it's a nice day, let's walk along the bay." said Katherine.

They left the cafe to head on to the embankment of Windenburg Bay. Katherine was right; it was a beautiful day and they walked along, taking in the sights of the sailing boats moored at the marina and the views that went on for miles.

"Well, it looks like just the two of us here" said Katherine.

"We're all alone" said Action, smiling.

"No one looking on" she said.

"No one to catch us" he replied. He took a couple of steps towards her and held her hands.

"Catch us doing what?" said Katherine, in expectation.

"Oh something like this...." said Action as they lent in towards each other until their mouths met to kiss.

After breaking apart to come up for air, Katherine smiled at Action "That was worth waiting for" she said, sighing.

"There's more where that came from" said Action.

"I don't know about you but I'm done sight seeing" said Katherine.

"Depends on what sights you want to see?" responded Action, flirtatiously.

"How about?....."

"Your place or mine? Why not mine? I make pretty good coffee" said Action.

"But didn't we just have some?"

"I meant morning coffee" he said, raising his eyebrow. Katherine smiled and understood exactly what he meant. They left Windenburg and headed back to Foundry Cove to enjoy each other's company some more.

"I've been here enough times to know the way here by heart" said Katherine when they arrived in the Cove.

"That'll be handy in future" said Action. "Shall we?"

They went inside where Action poured a couple of glasses of wine and they sat together on his couch to begin their intimacies again.

Naturally and instinctively one thing led to another...

The next morning they sat and had breakfast...and Action was good to his word by making a fine cup of coffee for Katherine.

"Last night was wonderful" she said.

"It certainly was...and not just the night, but the day as well. So how do you feel about you and me being together?" he replied.

"I want it more than ever before" she said, resting her head in her hands and leaning on his kitchen table.

Action smiled. "More coffee?"

CHAPTER 44: Cherchez L'Homme

 

No more messing around today....Suzy Kent was fed up with the lack of a love life. Every guy she met was either taken, obsessed with their work or flaky. There HAD to be some eligible bachelors in Sim City but where? It was time she stopped getting sidetracked by her own work and investigations because she was meant to be this hip, swinging mod chick and yet she had the look but not the lifestyle. Today was the day where that would change!

The first part of the plan was to be in the right physical and mental state so it was a trip down to the spa where she had booked in a yoga and exercise session. She had purchased spa membership months ago but had seldom taken advantage of it but today she was a girl with a purpose. Arriving at the spa, she pinned her hair up and changed into her favourite pink sparkly leotard and ballet tights; a legacy of when she was almost serious about becoming a ballerina before deciding on a career in journalism.

"And breathe in....stretch both legs out....breathe out....now on to your stomachs...." the instructor's calm voice guided the yoga class through their bends, stretches and poses. "Now we'll assume a position known as the crouching vole..." Suzy put her old ballet skills to good use as she could get into position a lot easier than her fellow classmates.

After the session, she had a little time in the sauna to cleanse the pores and focus her mind on what she had to do...meet a cute guy. When she was ready, she changed back into her street clothes, reapplied her make up, dabbed some perfume on and was ready to go! She'd heard of a swinging new club called the Lame Duck and decided that was the place to check out.

Her excitement at checking the place out met with disappointment when she went inside....apart from the bartender it was all women and middle aged women at that. This wasn't a swinging nightclub, it was a neighbourhood knitting circle!

Suzy stuck it out there in the hope things would improve and she had some nice chats with the ladies there but it took the time to have a couple of drinks before things started to liven up. More people...and men this time...started to show up and hit the dance floor. Although it wasn't classical ballet, Suzy could do a mean go-go dance.

The vibe was definitely improving but things came crashing down when some policemen showed up, telling everyone that the club had to temporarily shut down because of a report of a safety violation. Suzy couldn't think what that could be but when she saw that next to the police was the malevolent presence of Edna Sneedly, the town prude. She wanted all nightclubs in Sim City shut down and Suzy guessed that this "violation" was nothing but a trumped up excuse by Edna and her husband to get their way. As all the patrons trudged out of the club, she overheard a couple of them saying "well, at least the Romance Festival is still on tonight". Yes! The Romance Festival! The last refuge of the romantically desperate!

The festival was slow going at first...it always was...and Suzy got into a pleasant conversation with a local artist when she noticed a familiar person waving to her to grab her attention.

"Suzy! Suzy! It's me, Neil Humphries! Do you remember me?" said the young man calling to her.

"Hello Neil, of course I remember you" replied Suzy, walking over to him. Neil was a cute and talented young artist but very, very uptight. She liked him but wished he'd loosen up a little.

"So you've got a selection of paintings for sale" she said. "All your work?"

"All original Neil Humphries" he said, proudly. "Which one do you like the best?"

"Hmmmm....I like this one" it was a scene of an old stone cottage in winter.

"Would you like it? It's yours, free" said Neil.

"Oh no, I couldn't take it for free...let me pay for it" she said.

"How about a discount in exchange for a nice review in your magazine?"

"You drive a hard bargain, Neil" she said, smiling at him.

"Done" he said, taking the painting down and wrapping it for her in brown paper.

"So...you're back at the festival I see?" said Suzy, starting to warm to this guy.

"Oh...well...I don't care for that whole, you know...erm...romance stuff" he said, awkwardly.

"And yet you keep coming back" said Suzy, starting to playfully tease him. "I think you might protest too much"

"Well...it's a nice location here" he said, looking around.

"How about we go and see what's happening?" she said, trying to get him to buckle.

"Over there with all the flowers, hearts and dancing?"

"Why not?"

"Because it's...."

"Because it's what?" said Suzy, batting her eyelashes. "What are you afraid of?"

"Well...if you put it THAT way..." said Neil, caving in. Suzy grabbed his hand and they ran over to the festival.

"Sakura tea" said Suzy. "They say it unleashes your mind....helps with creativity, inspiration and...passions. Let's have some!"

"Creativity...inspiration....and *gulp!* passion...sure!" said a very nervous Neil.

They both drank a cup of Sakura tea and soon felt its effects. Neil definitely loosened up and Suzy felt a warmth and desire for her new, uptight friend.

"What I need to boost my art is a muse!" he said, boldly.

"Uh-huh" said Suzy, batting her eyelashes at him again.

"A beautiful lady like you....Oh my gosh! What am I saying here!" said Neil, barely able to contain the flirty vibe.

"Go with it, Neil" she replied.

"Actually I need to go to the toilet!" he said "be right back!" he added before bolting to the public bathrooms.

Suzy sighed...Neil was cute but needed working on. Was it worth it? Well, time would tell.

"Hi Suzy" said another voice. It was Barbara Dubois, Jeremy Saint's girlfriend.

"Barbara! Are you here with Jeremy?" she said, happy to see the woman who had brought joy to her next door neighbour's life.

"Yes, he's just getting us some tea but there's a bit of a queue right now"

"So I hear you guys have made it official...as a couple?"

"Yep...we're officially going steady and...well...before he returns I've got to say he's FANTASTIC!" said an excited Barbara.

"What? Fantastic in...."

"YES! Oh my goodness it was the best!"

Suzy stamped her feet and clenched her fists in excitement. She wanted to ask more but Jeremy was on his way back with the teas.

Suzy said hello to Jeremy but knew what effect that tea would be having on her friends and she didn't want to become a third wheel. Fortunately Neil returned from his trip, still looking confident.

"I'm glad you talked me into coming tonight" he said to her.

"Well, it's good to take the plunge occasionally" she replied.

She looked over at Jeremy and Barbara once more...they were already snuggling up together on a bench and whispering sweet nothings and she wondered if Neil was the man who she could do that with as well. It was slow going, and he was still a little tense around her but time would tell. She also wondered if Sakura Tea was available in the shops.

CHAPTER 43: Hot Date

"Life is great and life is fine!" exclaimed Jeremy Saint as he went for a stroll around Foundry Cove. He couldn't contain his excitement and greeted everyone he met with a broad smile.

"Hello, madam, what a fine morning it is! Good morning, Pizza Guy! I was saying what a great day this is!" he said to two random passers by.

"Erm...I guess, man." said the Pizza delivery man. "Are you tripping out?"

"Only on the joy of life! I have a wonderful new girlfriend and just now I was able to book a table for two at Chez Llama to celebrate out getting together!"

"Whoa! Chez Llama's pretty expensive, man" said the Pizza guy.

"I know...but it's worth it because she is" said Jeremy.

Jeremy was on cloud 9 and later on he got ready for his date. Earlier on, he and Suzy Kent went to the trendy Simnaby Street to choose a new suit for him to wear. Using her sharp, up to the minute fashion sense she chose for him a light grey suit which had a radical collar style and a white shirt with a yellow tie pattern on it instead of a tie.

Later on, Jeremy paced up and down outside Chez Llama waiting for Barbara to arrive. He'd got there early, which was a habit of his, but instead of calming his nerves about being late, it instead played on them because he had a fear she wouldn't show. His watch ticked onwards towards the date time...10 minutes to go, then 5, then 3 and then at 2 minutes to the arranged meeting time there she was...Barbara Dubois, Jeremy's date. His heart skipped a beat as he took in her loveliness...she was dressed in a white Chanel skirt suit and matching heels. She had certainly made an effort for the occasion.

"Wow! Chez Llama! I can't believe you got us a table here!" she exclaimed. "I hope I look alright" she added.

"You look wonderful" said Jeremy. "And I wanted everything to be fantastic so hang the expense for one night"

The maitre d showed them to their table and they looked longingly at the menus, which listed meals of the like they had never heard of. Jeremy ordered a bottle of red wine and Barbara helped him translate some of the French food terms.

"I would have struggled to order without your help" said Jeremy. "Do you speak French fluently then?"

"I'm from Montreal so I'm bilingual" she replied. "My dad's French-Canadian and my mom's from Nova Scotia so I grew up speaking both languages"

Their pleasant conversation was interrupted by the people who were sitting at the next table.

"Honey, I really think you've had enough to drink!" said a man to his wife.

"Nonsense...and you're not my boss! Well hello there, young man" she said, turning to Jeremy, winking and giving him a flirtatious smile. "Fancy seeing you here!"

"Jeremy, who is that woman?" asked Barbara

"I have no idea!" said Jeremy, bothered by this interruption.

"No need to play coy with me, handsome" continued the woman. "Once you've finished with the little girls, maybe you'll want to be with a woman"

"Honey, I insist you control yourself!" said the man to his wife. Their teenage daughter, sitting next to them, slumped on the table.

"And I insist you shut your big yap, Mister!" said the wife.

"OK, if that's the case...hello there little lady" said the man to Barbara. "You know you could do so much better"

"Jeremy, who are these people?" said Barbara, looking visibly upset.

"I HAVE NO IDEA!" said Jeremy, a little too loud. He composed himself.

"I've had enough!" said the teenage girl, leaping to her feet. "You too are an embarrassing pair of old drunks!" she said. "That nice, handsome man who looks good enough to eat in that sharp suit, yum, doesn't need an old dried up soak like you or someone who's clearly just past her prime..." she said, nodding at Barbara. Barbara leapt to her feet.

"That's it! I've had enough!" she said.

The manager came over to their tables and asked the family to leave. "I am so sorry for the disturbance" they said to Jeremy and Barbara.

"I swear I'd never seen them before" said an apologetic Jeremy.

"Harumph! I hope not!" said a still seething Barbara.

Jeremy looked over at their table and saw 3 empty bottles of wine on the other table. "They were absolutely smashed!" he said. "Hopefully our dinner will take away that unpleasantness...I would never do anything to jeopardise what we've got going, Barbara. You mean a lot to me"

Barbara sighed and looked into Jeremy's warm, gentle eyes. "You mean a lot to me too...I don't want anything to ruin our time together." She reached out and touched his hand. After dinner they ordered a taxi and he turned to Barbara and said "would you....like to come back to my place?"

"I'd like that very much" she said, holding his hand. The taxi arrived and they travelled back to Foundry Cove.

As they were about to walk up to the front door, Jeremy turned to her and said "when I said let's come back here what I meant was would you like to stay the night again?"

"I would and....I don't have to be up early tomorrow and I'm not feeling tired now" she said, raising an eyebrow seductively.

They entered the house and Barbara sat down on the couch, patting the seat next to her for Jeremy to sit next to her.

"Thank you for a wonderful evening" she said.

"Despite....?" he replied.

"Despite...it'll take more than that...to....stop.....me......from......doing.......this...." she said, leaning towards him as they drew closer and closer.

"Hmmmm" said Jeremy. "I see your French skills don't just end with reading a menu"

"We can be a very passionate people" she replied. They made out some more on the couch before Jeremy stood up and took her by the hand to join him.

"I think it's time" he said

"I think so too" she replied

"What's 'woohoo' in French?"

"It's woohoo"

They walked hand in hand to the bedroom and there they made the magic happen.

 

CHAPTER 42: All In A Day's Frustration

It'd been a frustrating day at work for Julia Epstein...first, the bus she was on during her morning commute had broken down, then she desperately tried to catch a subway train but couldn't find a space in the rush hour crush, then an old lady collapsed through a lack of air on one train and Julia had to help her medically. In the end she arrived an hour late for work and got chewed out by Dr Murakami. Her day didn't get any easier either; she was assigned all the worst jobs, from changing bedpans, mopping floors and taking people's temperatures....the unpleasant way. To add insult to injury, the canteen failed to provide a kosher lunch option. Her friend and colleague, Francesca Griffith, arranged for a suitable sandwich meal to be delivered to Judith so she wouldn't drop through hunger.

"Ugh, Murakami hates me; that's the only explanation!" said a frustrated Julia to Francesca.

"You need a break...why don't you and me check out that new art installation over at Crawdad Quarter this evening?" said Francesca.

"Won't your family need you?" replied Julia.

"Husband's off with his friends for 'gaming' night and our daughter's with my parents this evening....I was going to catch up on some revision for my promotion exam but I can make up the time later....you need serious cheering up!"

The exhibition at Municipal Muses was "Artifacts of Late Medieval France" and it was hardly a sell out with the two of them the only ones in the place.

"I expected more....more...." said Francesca.

"Gild? I was thinking that as well...I don't think they've labelled the piece properly either: It says on the card that this armour belonged to a duke but looking at the decorations I'd say it was more that of a fairly prosperous knight...not too wealthy as you can see the armour doesn't cover the full body and has chain mail segments" replied a very confident Julia.

"I didn't know you're an expert in medieval armour?" said Francesca.

"More of a passing fancy...I know more about early Renaissance German art than French medieval"

"I think you shouldn't let Murakami get to you, Julia" said Francesca after a while.

"Grrrr, that woman drives me up the wall!" growled Julia. "She has it in for me! I know it!"

"She's strict with all of us...our hospital has the best track record of any in Sim City. You need to be patient, you need to be in control and also you need to demand more respect from others there. For starters, you lay down the law about what food they should serve...they got it wrong because they don't care enough. Make them care." said Francesca.

"Sigh, I'm sure you're right...I'm just so tense right now and that erroneous artifact sign is bugging me as well!"

Francesca smiled and wrinkled her nose. "I know what we should do next!" she said, grabbing Judith by the hand. The next thing she knew she was being dragged two doors down to the Blue Velvet nightclub.

"Dancing?" asked Judith.

"Sure...and maybe you could meet a cute guy as well?" said a beaming Francesca.

"Ugh....I don't want to meet any guys; cute or otherwise" replied a disgusted Judith.

"Oh..." Francesca looked embarrassed for one moment. "I didn't know....well, that's OK by me...I'm not judging"

"And no, I'm not interested in cute girls! I'm not that way inclined either...I have dedicated my life to the pursuit of knowledge and excellence and relationships are a barrier to my goals"

"How about some fun in general then?" smiled Francesca.

"Well....erm....I am not averse to fun if in the pursuit of higher goals" said Judith.

They went into the nightclub but Judith nearly bolted and ran when she saw way too much physical contact between men and women as they danced. 

"Francesca" Judith began "You have been a good friend to me since I started at the hospital, let me buy you a drink and some food"

"Thanks, I'll have what you're having"

Judith went to the bar and tried, politely, to gain the bartender's attention...without much luck.

It was very crowded at the bar until a well dressed middle aged man seated right in front of her turned and said "You can't expect to be noticed by being mousey, little lady. What do you want, I'll order it for you"

"Two sweet n' spicys and two of those delicious looking giant pretzels they have as well, thanks"

The man snapped his fingers and got the bartender's attention. He placed the order and turned to Judith. "My treat. By the way, I hope you don't mind me saying but if you took off those glasses and let your hair loose around your shoulders you'd be very beautiful"

"I do mind you saying, and I'll pay for my own round thank you" replied a cold Judith.

"I'm a bit of an expert in what men find desirable. I'm Alan Cuffe, owner and editor of Lothario magazine"

"I've heard of your salubrious publication...it is not to my taste" said Judith.

"It's not meant to be. But it influences fashion, style and looks. You could learn from it."

"I am not influenced by such trivialities and thank you for your help in getting my order...good evening, Mr Cuffe"

Back at the table Judith gave Francesca her drink and pretzel. "Do you see, Francesca, how sleazy men are?" she said.

"Oh I get it all the time from male patients. I tell them my husband's a professional wrestler"

"Is he?"

"Oh no, but they see the wedding ring and what I say is enough to frighten them"

The rest of the evening passed pleasantly. Judith had a little too much to drink by the end of it and it loosened her inhibitions. Seeing a young man attempting to sing "Yeah Yeah"...badly...she couldn't stand it anymore. "Someone needs to accompany him on the piano and that person is me!"

Judith got up and began to play. Francesca smiled....Judith was a young woman of many talents but she was sure hung up over so much!