Larry the Hummingbird

ROXANNES POINT OF VEIW 1945

My eyes flung open as my French alarm clock rang loudly. I got up and checked my calendar. It read Monday, April 9th, 1945. I woke at six am to prepare for class at The School of Health in New York. I put on my blue shirtwaist dress and collected my book bag. I had my final test; if I passed, I would graduate the following week. The program was 3 years long, and I was ready to start working. I had already completed my clinical work at the Downtown Emergency Hospital, and this was the final test that would set me free from schoolwork. The hardest part would be related to newer drugs such as antibiotics. World War 2 was a proving ground for Penicillin, and the medical community was now heavily invested. I wished I could've helped in the war, but I was able to stay in nursing school. I was glad the war was over, but humans have always fought and will continue to fight. Nurses were always needed, and I was ready to fill the void. Before I left, I looked outside the window to see if Larry the hummingbird was in his usual spot. Larry was indeed at his favorite flower. I opened the window and asked him, "How do you think I will do today?" Larry looked at me, and we locked eyes for a second. He then took off, and the sound of his wings disappeared, and the hustle and bustle of downtown New York filled the gap. I had a short walk to the library from where I lived and needed to get breakfast on the way. There was a diner next to the library, and I hoped I would see Jimmy.

I walked into the diner and sat down in my usual booth. Meribeth walked over and announced, "Good morning, Roxanne. Eggs and sausage?" I said, "Please, and some coffee." Meribeth nodded and began to walk away, but I asked, "Has Jimmy stopped by yet?" Meribeth turned around and smiled, "Not yet, but you are a few minutes early today." I smiled and looked down at the newspaper, The Minutes. I began to read an article about the aftermath of the war and thought about how lucky I was to be here in America. I was born in America, but my family was from France, and it hurt my heart to think about what the country had been reduced to. I had never been to France but learned French from my mother. A male voice said, "Good morning, sweetheart." I looked up to see Jimmy in his Police Officer uniform. I sweetly responded, "Good morning." He sat down, and Meribeth brought over some coffee and my food. Jimmy asked, "Are you ready for your final?" I said, "Mostly, I'm a little worried about the new drugs that are now being made." Jimmy hypothesized, "I am sure you will do fine." I asked, "Anything fun at work?" While I started to eat, he said, "The usual, but last week, some crazy person bit my calf as we were trying to arrest him for trying to steal a pig from the butcher shop." I uttered with a mouthful, "Jeeze. Are you okay?" He smiled and uttered, "I'll be fine. Since today is your last class, do you want to go dancing?" I excitedly responded, "Absolutely." He smiled. "See you at the dance hall at seven pm?" I nodded. Jimmy tipped his hat to Meribeth and left.

I left money for Meribeth after finishing my breakfast and headed for class. The walk was short, and even though it was early, it was nice outside. I went to the library and sat down. My friend Jasmine, who was also in my class, sat next to me. She asked, "Hey, Roxanne. Are you ready for the test?" I remarked, "Yeah. I want to re-read the material about new medications." She responded, "Okay, I'll quiz you." We studied for an hour, and then we left for class. We entered the room and sat down in chairs that were spaced out further than normal. Our professor, Dr. McMiller, announced, "You have two hours for the test, and I should have them graded by the end of the day tomorrow. Good luck." The test was passed out, and I started. I understood all of it, but as predicted, the new-age medicine questions were a little harder, but I remembered why I was doing all of this. My mother had died of an infection, and drugs like Penicillin could've saved her. Jasmine and I got through with our tests first and turned them in. Once we got out, I asked Jasmine, "How do you think you did?" She responded, "I think I did well. What are you doing tonight?" I said, "Going dancing with Jimmy at the hall." She smirked, "You like a man in uniform, don't you?" We both laughed. She said, "I'll see you there because Jeff and I are going." Jeff was Jasmin's high school sweetheart. Jasim asked with a presumptive tone, "Are you going to you... you know." I blushed and said, "Maybe. He's so sweet, and I want to take it slow." I continued," I'm going to go home, take a nap, and then get ready. I'll meet you there?" She nodded, and we hugged. We went in different directions.

I walked the short distance to my room and put all of my books in my closet. I changed into evening wear and climbed into bed. I decided to read a little from this vampire book that I bought at a thrift store, which had come in a lunch box. I always liked the fantasy world because the current one was beyond brutal. I quickly fell asleep.