CHAPTER 3 (NOW)
"The girl was seated in the corner of the woods, seeming lost in her own world. After they told me she was the marine's sister, I backed off a little. But take note of the word 'a little' because I owe no explanation if I do approach. I sat there, drinking up; my mind was already barely holding up, but it was three in the morning. Elvis' phone had told me, I was incharge of his phone, he was one hell of a drinker. Some drinkers had already passed out, yet she was still holding up. She seemed uninterested in the party, so I decided to approach her. The alcohol inside me never made my muscles tense when approaching a woman; it never did.
'Hello,' I stated as I looked for another stone to sit right next to her. She slowly raised her eyes towards me and somehow ignored me with a smile. I liked games. 'Mind if I sit?' I added, and she just shook her head, and I thought, it was an indication she wanted me there. She had no alcohol in her hand, so I offered her my bottle, which she declined with a shake of her head. She must have hated drinking. 'Nice nails,' I added, and now she had my attention. I was a sucker for women's nails and fingers. Long, slender ones felt beautiful, especially when accompanied by nicely made nails.
'You're not from around here,' she stated, to which I nodded.
'I come from far away...' As I tried to finish the sentence, the man in charge of the music started playing some random music at the loudest volume. 'I come from…'"
"Can't hear you," assumed she was shouting or rather that was what she was saying, as she pointed to her ears. So I asked if she wanted to head out of here, and she just accepted. So I led her towards Elvis' car, opened it, and led her in. "Finally it's quiet," I stated, laughing. When I drank, I always had something to say, but sober me barely held up to speaking much. "Is it hot or cold?" I asked her, wanting her to be comfortable. It would be a waste not to give off a gentlemanly aura on the first meetup, although I wasn't sure if we would meet again. She just seemed a little cool.
"Where do you study?" she asked, inquiring about my background. Telling her I was a doctor might imply that I was a little older.
"Somewhere nearby," I stated, and then we both laughed. Hell, I hoped she didn't think that was flirting because I was barely even flirting with her.
"The stars are beautiful," she added, looking outside. I remembered when drinking, earlier on the night, the stars were nowhere to be seen; the sky was dark. Now, the stars had already embraced the skies after the little downpour. I hadn't noticed, so I just smiled after looking outside. I really was trying to impress her. My smile never reached my eyes though; it was something people told me, ever since the dark surpassed my light. They said it was like I was hiding something dark, something dark from the inside, but currently, I was just focused on having a little chat with her. After some minutes, she was checking on the car. It was like she knew a lot that existed in the car, while I was busy checking her out, wondering what she would feel like beneath me. She had beautiful eyes, a baby face – literally the cutest baby face that blended so well with her well-curled edges. She wore locks; she was brown-skinned; she was beautiful, though. I was in liking, really was. She had a beautiful mouth; it was curled. When she suddenly tapped on something and the car started playing some old-school Chris Brown music, she looked at me as she shyly placed her hand on her mouth.
"Unintended," she stated, and I just raised my eyebrows, with a little unbelieve playful face. "Elvis' car is full of gems," I added when suddenly, my backup phone started ringing. I made sure I carried a smaller phone with me when the other was barely hanging on. It was the office, and I knew what it was about; emergencies meant serious matters.
"Hello, yes."
"Doctor, you are needed, Unit 564, emergency, please hurry," he stated. It was my head, always demanding.
"I'm not on shift," I tried to convince him. I knew the alcohol would cloud my judgment when it came to work, so this meant I needed to make myself a remedy to reduce the alcohol in my system before heading out. And if it were an emergency, it meant always a hundred percent accuracy. Why am I saying a hundred percent as if there are some fifty percent? Night emergencies were mostly for children born with some heart conditions. Being tested was better for them. Children held some soft spots in me.., they really did, so I just found myself starting Elvis' car, not caring if I had a lady with me. And this meant one thing I hated most: I would have to take her to my not well-organized apartment. Hell, she would have an idea. Elvis had left the car keys in the car, so I just texted him: "Emergency."
"Do you know how to drive?" I asked her. I had not even gotten her name; I just wanted to know if she knew so that she could head back with Elvis's car and pick him up from this messed up party. It would be a loss if he went on foot or used public transport. "Where are we heading to?" she stated. "To my house, for some emergency... you don't mind so I can dro—" She didn't seem to mind that I was leaving with her. Most girls would be taken aback and insist on being dropped off separately or something. That's why I stopped myself from talking much. My phone kept on ringing from different doctors, and I really had to pick up. Emergencies were never beautiful. The last emergency, we made it through the surgery after seventy-eight hours. I was very tired. There was not a single blink, not a single talk. Just the hands and being controlled made the noises. It was part of my job anyway, that I knew. However, the worst days were when the patient never made it. It felt like a job badly done. It always broke even the oldest of our seniors, not to mention me. I was the youngest. I was lucky. I was really lucky. Most of my friends are in private hospitals. I just made it in a public one. Maybe it was due to my overly giving it all during my attachment. I guess that was the reason.
I parked the car right next to mine in the parking lodge and helped the girl out as we headed to my apartment. I was barely thinking about what was in her head; I really wasn't even concerned. Whatever she thought, she had the right to speak. She didn't answer if she drove, so I just imagined that she hadn't yet learned how to drive or barely had a driving license. I opened the door to my apartment, and the smell of liquor couldn't help but embrace us. I didn't even look at her. Whatever she felt like feeling wasn't of importance; I needed to leave immediately. So I went to the kitchen after making her comfortable inside one of the guest rooms. That room, one friend of mine named Luke used to sleep in back in the days, was well tidied. I gave her one of my lengthy t-shirts. She was small, I mean, height-wise, so wearing my t-shirt meant it would fit well. I just drank the remedy. I always kept milk in the fridge and washed my face with cold water, in addition to taking some medicine which should help in case I would have a headache. Then, I brushed my teeth, smelled myself to check if I reeked of liquor, and then headed to where the girl was: the guest room. "Hey," I stated as I knocked, hoping she wasn't naked or inappropriately dressed. She had already changed into the t-shirt. It looked sexy, but there was no time for that.
"Do I smell liquor?" I asked, and this just made her smile. It was like a question she barely expected, so she just shook her head. She was also not much of a speaker, I guess, but women were naturally talkative. She was, I guess, a little timid. "There is milk in the fridge, some chocolate. There's cash inside my wallet on the left side of the screen, and the Wi-Fi password is Cate567zen. Feel at home, please don't mind the smell. I don't know when I will be back. If Elvis comes, tell him I will call. In case you wish to leave, I have the spare. You can lock the room and head outside. Feel at home…, and the things on the fridge incase spoilt buy new please." And with that, I wore professional shoes, took my bag that carried the lab coat and stethoscope, and left carrying my car keys as I answered the last call from the doc, telling him I am on my way. I just hoped it was not one of the worst surgeries.