Silver Whispers

02



By the time I get home, Pasha is taking his fifth nap, sleeping on his little cushioned corner with his behind sticking out. 

He looks so cute I almost want to put a blanket on him.

I put tonight's dinner - frozen pizza - on the counter and take off my jacket. It is mid October already but the state of New York is not any less hotter than it was in September. 

When I turn the kitchen light on, Pasha awakens, yawns and stretches.

Right then, my phone buzzes for the fourth time in a row.

I'm going to kill Blaire the next time I see her.

It's another alert from Estella's MMS. At this point, it's just spam.

I close the message and instead dial Dr. Foster's number.

"Hello?" She picks up on the third ring. "Isla, dear. How are you?" Her voice is a little trembly from old age and that cold she had last week.

"I'm okay. Can you fit me in today? I'm working late tomorrow."

Dr. Foster is used to my bluntness. There are only so many people I'm comfortable around, where I can act like myself in front of them. Dr. Foster is one, Blaire and Jenny being the only others.

"I thought you worked till 5. You can--"

"My new boss is horrible." I cut her off. "According to him, we don't leave until we're done."

It's true, he is. Horrible, I mean. He had just joined yesterday, and is the son of our previous owner, Mr.  Castello. I haven't had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting him just yet, but the new rules he's been setting are pretty strict. 

And what makes it even worse is the fact that Mr. Castello was such a good leader. He'd established the entire chain of hotels and resorts so firmly that in a few years, we had surpassed all our rivals and grown to the top.

As far as normal people go, I don't dislike him. Not the least bit.

Dr. Foster takes a minute to reply. I mentally imagine her pulling up her laptop screen, seeing if she has enough time to see me today.

"An hour." She finally says. "You better hurry."

"How can I?" I answer. "Wasn't it you who who prohibited me from driving?"

"For God's sake, woman. Get a taxi!" 

She ends the call before I can reply.

Since it takes around half an hour getting there, minus the time to find a taxi, I barely have enough minutes to prepare my bag.

Essentials to take with you when you're going to see Dr. Foster:

• A bundle of Emotional Worksheets so she can check your progress and/or comment on what a ravenous human being you are.

• A file of your medical history even though she knows everything and will continue to never forget anything about your medical history.

• A pack of aspirin. Maybe two.

• All your drama crap so she can analyze your feelings and help you get better. 

In fifteen minutes, I put on my shoes (again) and re-fill Pasha's bowl of cat food before I head out, just so he doesn't get hungry. 

It takes me another ten minutes to find a taxi after jutting my thumb out at taxi drivers on the street, waiting for a ride. I should really just listen to Blaire when she tells me to download the Uber app.