The next day, Marisa went to work early to try and take her mind off of things. As she walked into her office, she peered into her schedule for the day.
“Alright, Marisa. Time to get your head out of the clouds. There are people here who need your help.” After having a cup of hot tea, she walked into the examination room. To her surprise, it was the young boy who injured his knee at the park a few days ago.
“Well, I certainly didn’t expect to see you again so soon. What can I do for you this time?”
“Well, the wound started bleeding again last night and we were worried one of his stitches might have come loose or something.” The mother explained.
“I see. Has it been bothering him in any way?”
“Well, he has been saying that it hurts to bend it but we thought that was just because he wasn’t used to the stitches. We’ve been keeping it bandaged up like you said.” Marisa took off the bandage and looked it over. It was hard to see the stitches clearly cause they were covered with dried blood.
“Hmm, well first things first. Let’s get this cleaned up.” Using a ball of bleached cotton, she gently pressed on and off the wound until all the dried blood was wiped away. Now she was able to get a better look.
“Well, the stitches are all there. Although, it seems the cut isn’t healing like I had hoped it would. I wonder.” Just then, she had an idea.
“Chelsea, would you please get an x-ray ready for me? There’s something I would like to check.” Marisa asked Chelsea who had been standing there the whole time.
“Right away, doctor.” Quickly, Chelsea got out the x-ray equipment. After taking a snapshot of the boy’s leg, Marisa held it up to the light.
“Hmm, it’s just as I feared.” Now the mother was getting a little worried.
“Is something wrong?”
“Well, take a look at this.” She pointed to a big white spot that was sticking out deep within the boys leg.
“See, here is where the outer leg muscle is located. This big white spot, which is right on top of it, indicates that there’s something still stuck in there. Probably a piece of the rock he hit when he landed.” The frightened mother held her child closely.
“So what can we do?”
“No need to worry. Fortunately, it’s only on top of his muscle and not buried in it. We should be able to go in and remove it.”
“Will it hurt him?”
“Oh no, of course not. We’ll put him under mild anesthesia so he won’t feel a thing.” With Marisa’s assurance, the boy’s mother agreed to the treatment. With that said, Marisa sent Chelsea to put out word for Dr. John and two other doctors to meet her in one of the hospital’s upper operating rooms. While she was waiting, she put an anesthetic mask over the boy’s face.
“Now don’t you worry, sweety. Everything will be alright.” She promised trying to comfort the frightened child.
“Doctor, it won’t hurt will it?”
“No dear, I promise you won’t feel a thing. By the time you wake up from your little nap, it will all be over. You just relax and have a good sleep.” Now that the boy had calmed down, Marisa slowly turned on the anesthetic gas pressure. By the time Marisa’s helpers had entered the room, the boy was fast asleep.
“Perfect timing everyone.” Marisa announced as she put on her robe.
“So this is the boy you met in the park, Dr. Marisa?”
“Yes, this is him, Dr. John. Frankly, I was hoping we wouldn’t have to do anything extreme on him. But, now we have no choice.”
“Yeah, I hear he has a rock jammed in his muscle.”
“Yes, fortunately it’s only on top of the muscle and not in it. Still, this is going to be tricky. Given the location of the rock, the wound could tear open and start bleeding any time. So we need to handle this as delicately as possible.”
“Understood.” Quickly, everyone put on their safety equipment and got their tools ready.
“Alright than, let’s begin.”
For the next 2 hours, the boys parents sat anxiously outside the operation room waiting for news about their son’s leg. Finally, Marisa came out. She had a few blood stains on her robe.
“Doctor, how is he?” The mother asked nervously.
“There’s no need to worry. Everything will be fine. We’ve successfully removed the rock and sealed the cut up tightly. Now, with the occasional bandage check, he should make a full recovery.” The mother was so happy tears started rolling down her face.
“Oh thank goodness.” After letting his parents go in to see him, Marisa went to the sanitation room to get cleaned up. Dr. John was there as well.
“Boy, you really are amazing, Dr. Marisa. You were able to get that rock out of that boy’s knee without any additional blood loss. It’s no wonder everyone calls you ‘The Blue Rose’ cause your hands are as smooth and slick as rose petals.” Marisa rolled her eyes as she washed her arms.
“Oh knock it off, Dr. John. You make it sound like I’m the only doctor around. Besides, I couldn’t have done all that by myself. I was only able to do anything cause I had you and the others right there to help me.”
“Yeah, but you’ve still got a lot of skill.” With that said, Dr. John dried himself off and headed out the door. Marisa couldn’t help but smile.
“Yes, this is where I belong. Somewhere where I am truly able to help people. A place where I can focus on things that can truly make a difference. I can just forget about all my troubles.” After she was all clean, Marisa headed back up to her office. When she got there, she was shocked to find her purse on her desk.
“What? My purse? But I thought I left this at May May’s party. How did it get here?”
“I brought it here.” A voice came from behind the door. Marisa couldn’t believe who it was.
“T...Thomas?! What are you doing here?!”
“Well, you left your purse there and I wanted to make sure you got it back.”
“Oh, I see. Thank you. I’m sorry if I caused you any trouble.”
“Not at all. Maggie told me you worked here so I thought I’d drop it by.”
“I see.” For a while, the two of them remained quiet. Thomas started scratching his head.
“Listen, about last night. I...I just.” Marisa slowly raised her head.
“I just wanted to apologize.” Marisa’s face lit up.
“What? What for?”
“Well, you left so suddenly and I figured it was because of what I said.” Marisa looked down at her feet as she held her purse tightly.
“No, it wasn’t you at all.” Thomas looked at her.
“It’s just...I was really embarrassed that I ended up singing in front of so many people. I’m sure May May was only joking when she made me do that. But I...well...I tend to get nervous around people sometimes. I don’t mean to be. It’s just...I let my nerves get to me that’s all.” Thomas smiled as he lowered his arm.
“That’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I get that way too.” Marisa’s face shot up.
“You...you do?”
“Oh yeah, all the time. I just completely freeze up for no good reason. I guess I let myself get caught in the moment.” Marisa couldn’t help but giggle.
“But you know, I wasn’t lying about your singing.” Marisa’s head shot up.
“What?”
“Yeah, you really were amazing. Your voice left me completely mesmerized and I was sad when you were done. Everything seemed to come so natural to you and you didn’t look nervous at all. Really, it was beyond words.” Marisa found herself bushing.
“You...really think so?” Thomas smiled and nodded. Marisa couldn’t help but smile.
“Hey, it’s almost noon. Do you have any lunch plans?”
“Um, no. Why?”
“Great, than how about coming to have lunch with me? I know a great café just down the road from here.”
“What? You mean like right now?”
“I’m hungry now. How bout you?”
“Well, I---” Just then, Marisa’s stomach let out a growl. She couldn’t help but blush as Thomas just smiled. Finally, she broke out a smile.
“Well, I guess I could go for something.” With that said, Marisa and Thomas headed out the door and down the street.
After walking down the road for a couple of blocks, Thomas stopped in front of a café called ‘The Cat’s Eye.’ Marisa looked it over.
“I've heard about this place. My colleague, Dr. John, eats here all the time. He says their pastries are the best around.”
“I come to eat here with my colleagues all the time. My friend, Marcus, eats up everything in sight. He’d eat the place clean if we’d let him.” Marisa couldn’t help but laugh. After they got to their table, Marisa looked through the menu. It had a cute picture of a black cat on the front.
“This looks just like Kimmiekoe.”
“Kimmiekoe?”
“Oh, she’s my cat. She’s all black too.”
“I see. That’s an unusual name.” Marisa blushed.
“Yes well, I’ve always liked unique names. People who have common names seem to get mixed up with one another.”
“That makes sense. Than would that make me one of those people? Thomas is a common name too.” Marisa’s face shot up.
“I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with it! It’s just...well...you know.” Thomas smiled.
“I understand.” After they got their food, Marisa just stared at her plate.
“Don’t be shy. Go ahead and dig in. It’s my treat.”
“Oh you don’t have to do that. It’s just that...”
“It’s just what?”
“Well, this is the first time I’ve ever had lunch with someone other than my family or close friends.”
“There’s nothing to be nervous about. I don’t mind messy eaters.” Thomas teased.
“That’s hardly the issue.” Marisa said blushing.
“I know. Don’t worry. Just relax and enjoy yourself.” He said with a smile as he took a bite of his sandwich. Marisa couldn’t help but smile. Finally, she took a bite of her sandwich.
“How is it?”
“It’s delicious. I can taste the perfect blend of spices in the bread and meat. And the melted cheese makes it even more mouth watering. Plus, all the vegetables are very fresh. Probably just picked one or two days ago.” Next, she tried her soup.
“This is just as good. One thing about potato soup is that it’s always best with broccoli and carrots with cheese on top. Plus the fact that they used cream of cheese soup instead of water or broth makes it perfect.” Then, she tried her dessert.
“Mmm, it’s been forever since I had a piece of chocolate cake. There’s just enough sugar to make it sweet but not too sweet and you can tell from the taste that they made the whole thing from scratch and not from a premade mix. Plus, they left it in the oven long enough for it to be fully baked on top and on bottom while the middle remains a little moist. And of course, chocolate cake always goes best with cool whip on top.” Thomas smiled as he watched Marisa enjoy her gourmet meal.
“You seem to be a good judge of taste. Are you a cook?” Marisa’s hand froze as she put her fork down and looked at her feet.
“Well, whenever I get the chance, I help my mom in the kitchen. I learned everything I know about cooking and stuff from her and my grandmother.”
“I see. You must be a professional than.” Marisa blushed.
“Well, I wouldn’t say that.” Thomas just smiled. After they finished their meal, Marisa had a cup of tea while Thomas had some coffee.
“Mmm, nothing beats relaxing with a cup of hot tea after a big meal.”
“Are you sure you’re okay with plain tea? You know they have flavored tea.”
“Yes I know, but I’ve always liked plain tea best.”
“I see.” Suddenly, Thomas’s cell phone started ringing. After looking to see who it was, Thomas formed a serious look on his face.
“Sorry Marisa, I've got to take this. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.” While Marisa just relaxed with her tea, Thomas headed to the back of the restaurant to answer his phone. As she waited, Marisa thought to herself.
“Thomas sure is a sweet guy. He’s considerate, kind, and has a funny sense of humor. But, I get the feeling he’s also the type of person who has more to him than meets the eye.” Just then, Thomas came back. He still had a serious look on his face.
“Sorry about that. Are you ready to go?”
“Is something wrong, Thomas? You look a little upset all of a sudden.” Thomas smiled.
“Oh, that was just my work calling me. Something came up and they need me back.”
“Is it serious?”
“No need to worry. Just a little issue that my colleagues feel they can’t solve without me. Sometimes I wonder what they’d ever do without me.” Marisa couldn’t help but giggle. After the short walk back to the hospital, Thomas stopped at the front door.
“Well, I’d better get going. I hope I was able to show you a little bit of a good time.”
“Oh yes, I had a very good time.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Well, see you around.” Thomas started to walk away.
“Um, Thomas!” Marisa called out. Thomas turned around.
“Would you...that is...do you think we could do this again sometime?” Thomas smiled.
“Of course, I’d love to go somewhere with you again.” Marisa blushed as she smiled. Then, she watched as Thomas got into his car and drove off. With a big smile on her face, she walked back into the hospital.
That night, Marisa told Maggie all about what happened at lunch over the phone.
“And then what? Please tell me you didn’t just watch him walk away again.”
“Well actually, I asked him if he would like to do it again sometime. He said he’d love to and drove off.” At first, Maggie stayed quiet.
“Ah! Oh my gosh! He really said that?!”
“Word for word.”
“Oh man! You are so in, Marisa! He totally likes you!”
“What?! Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not like that at all. I think he was just trying to make up for last night.” Maggie slapped her hand over her head.
“Ah! How dull can you get?! It was obviously a lunch date, silly. Even if he didn’t say it was, in a way it was like the two of you were on a date. You did mention to him that it was the first time you’d ever had lunch with someone other than your friends or your family right?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Than it really was like a lunch date. Boy are you slick. I know a ton of girls who’d give anything to go out on a date with a guy like Thomas.” Marisa thought about it for a minute.
“I guess it was kind of like a lunch date. But aren’t you suppose to do something glamorous on a date? Like go out to a fancy restaurant or something.”
“Huh? Where’d you get an idea like that? No, it doesn’t have to be super fancy at all. Sometimes it can be as simple as going out for a walk or getting an ice-cream. In fact, my first date with Jarred was going to a simple pizza place. There are tons of things both big and small that you could do on a date. Like go out to dinner, to the movies, go to a park, or something like that. Really, the possibilities are endless.”
“If that’s the case, how do you even know what to consider doing?”
“Well, it all depends on both persons’ interests. For example, both you and Thomas are the kind of people who prefer to move around instead of just sitting in one place for too long. So going to the movies would probably not be the best choice for you two. Instead, you could do something active like go roller skating or bowling. After all, the more you learn about each other, the more fun you’ll have together.” Marisa laid on her bed and stared at the ceiling.
“Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Even so, it all sounds a lot easier said than done.”
“Of course it does. You know the old saying love is complicated. Really, all you can do is just take things one step at a time. Than before you know it, you’ll find yourself head over heels.” Marisa chuckled.
“Yeah right, like that could ever happen to me. Even if it did, I’m sure the feeling would be one sided.”
“Hey, you never know. After all, life is full of unexpected surprises.” Marisa thought long and hard for a long time.
“Unexpected surprises, huh? Well, life is full of them. That’s for sure.”