Great Girls(Victoria Pedretti)

C. 22🕰

"Okay, you are all set," the nurse temporarily stepping in for Nurse Garcia, who was away on vacation with her boyfriend to Fort Lauderdale.  "Thanks, Ruby," I expressed my gratitude as I pulled my dark amber sleeve down after Ruby finished taking my blood pressure.

Despite being Dr. Lace's first patient for the morning, Ruby was able to squeeze me in since my dad and Dr. Lace used to work in this very building together. I was very fortunate for the adjustment that he made in his schedule.

Often, I felt that I took being in a small town for granted. Everyone was so nice and accepting—people of different colors, races, religions, sexualities, etc. The world is a different place now than it was back then. My mom says she cannot believe that she and everyone else have come along way and survived.

However, the professor doesn't want to feed me the idea that society is a better place in the 2060s. Just because the world seems like a better place doesn't mean that it couldn't be better.

The thing about racism and homophobia is that it just doesn't vanish like that. It takes progression, education, and comprehension.

"When will Garcia be back?" I inquired Ruby, who was jotting down my blood pressure and other necessary information required to be written down for each patient.

Ruby wrapped up the sphygmomanometer and put it back in the tiny rack by the round meter, or what I suppose is a meter. I'm not a nurse, nor am I a doctor, so how would I know?

She pulled her lips up in a grin as she turned scarlet. "Word on the street is Garcia is tying the knot with Mr. Fast Car Driver." Ruby squealed, grabbing my hands in celebration. "What! Well, this is just perfect. What's her number? My cousin's a well-known wedding planner. He's done a wedding for Mayor Bingham and his husband and Lea Cheshire. The Argentian model who married that famous stockbroker. What's his name..."

"Woah, there, driver. Let's pump the brakes before you cause a collision. There is a slight chance that Garcia may decline the proposal," she informed, getting my hopes up.

"Why?"

"She found a pearl earring hidden under the couch?"

"What was she doing under the couch?"

"Her monthly checks," she answered, closing the cap on the black-inked Bic and stuck it in the pocket of her top.

"Monthly checks?"

"Every month, Garcia sweeps through Derek's things to see if he's cheating on her."

"I don't understand. Is he not to be trusted?"

"I guess not. He's got a rep for tapping out of relationships when things begin to become serious."

"Sound like he has trouble committing to long-term relationships," I replied, adjusting myself on top of the crepe covered exam table as I held onto my bag.

"So he does," she opened the clinic room door with her foot and grabbed her clipboard from the table under the storage cabinets.

I leaned back, extending my arms along with the table as I put my weight on my hands. "Enlighten me. Does Garcia loathe jewelry?"

Ruby went out the door but stuck her head back in the door and said, "No, she loves it. However, she does have a strong disliking towards fake jewelry."

She left me with that piece of knowledge to figure out on my own. It wasn't until Luci came back from the bathroom that I had caught on. I widened my eyes, covering my mouth. Ruby's eyes did the same, only in mockery, of course.

Luci was clueless about the energy in the room. I would be sure to catch her up on it after Ruby leaves.

"No way," I said in amazement. "Yes, way. Now, don't go blabbering around town about it," she warned.

"Do I look like Wendy Williams?"

"Who?" she knitted her eyebrows closer to one another.

"No one. She was just someone who was an absolute meme, but honestly, do I look like someone who would do such a thing?" I asked, feeling pained about her lack of confidence in me. "You know what I am, a confessional booth," I stated in spirit.

"No, you're crazy," she joked. "Now, you're gonna make me get in trouble with Lynn."

Lynn was another nurse who was the chief nurse at the clinic. She was strict, and everyone was frightened of her. Solely because she may be a descent of Hitler or was it, Mussolini. Either way, no one wants to get on her bad side.

"Right, sorry," I apologized, chuckling. "Dr. Lace will be with you in a few minutes." I nodded in recognition.

As soon as Ruby left, I spilled the beans to Luci about Garcia and Derek. I know Ruby didn't want me to tell anyone else about the incident, but who was Luci going to tell? Gatsby?

Not that I'm implying that she doesn't have friends. I'm sure she has lots of friends, I would hope. I'd sure get lonely if I were alone in a big house by myself. Well, she does have a cat, but wait a minute.

Gatsby can't defend when if someone, specifically a male, were to break-in. What would she do? Oh, my goodness. I'm freaking out. I'm freaking out in a doctor's office.

Now that I mentioned the whole burglary thing, I've noticed how she doesn't have curtains in her room or the bathroom. What kind of person doesn't have curtains in their home? There are weird people out there who like to prey on others when alone, especially when everything is an open show.

They have a whole view. They might as well get some popcorn and a Mountain Dew at this point.

Oh, my God! Someone could have seen me naked.

"Do you want to buy some curtains?" I said out of the blue, completely ignoring the entire one minute rant that Luci was raving about while I was daydreaming.

"What," she responded. Before I had time to reply, Dr. Lace had waltzed in with a bright smile plastered on his face. "Sallie, you're back again. Oh, and who might this be?" he asked, pointing the clipboard to Luci as he was shutting the door behind him.

"Dr. Lace, hi. This is Luci, my...friend." "Nice to meet you, Luci. I'm Dr. Lace, Sallie's doctor ever since high school."

"Hi, Dr. Lace. It's very lovely to meet you as well, " she greeted. 

He sat down at the adjustable bar table next to the cabinet and picked up the clipboard. Hanging down from his lab coat was a black stethoscope.

"So, how's the traveler?" Dr. Lace referred to my father in Europe while he wrapped his hand around mine and took his other to check my pulse with two fingers.

"Oh, you know he's busy, cutting up brains and eating franzbrötchen," I joked. Dr. Lace's eyebrows lowered in disappointment, "Your pulse is racing. You anxious about something?"  Yes, but not about myself.

Luci came to the other side of the table and voiced her concern while placing her hands on my shoulder. Goosebumps, she gave me. The good kind. "Salinger, are you okay? What's the matter?" You. That's what's the matter with me.

I shook my head, "N-Nothing. I was just...um, thinking about my final next month."

While Luci pulled back my hair and reassured me that I would ace my exam, Dr. Lace removed his hands from mine and rolled himself back to the cabinet.

Standing on his two feet, Dr. Lace turned the knob on the door. He turned his head around and said, "I forgot my smiley pen. I'll be right back." 

He exited, leaving the door open. 

"Have you ever tried these things?" Luci posed a question, picking up the instrument that Dr. Lace had left unattended. "I've always wanted to use them."

Oh, great. She's playing doctor while I'm having a stroke over her residential safety. I mean, seriously, how does one sleep at night, knowing that someone could be watching them in their home and plotting to kill them in their sleep with their own butcher knife. 

"Ow! Holy crap!" Luci screamed, sucking me out of my world of thoughts. 

"What?! What happened! What!" I yelled. "My ear. I think I just damaged a nerve!"