Everyone around me says I am a terrible romantic, a hopeless romantic.
I suppose they’re right. It’s funny how people looking outside of us can sometimes see us better than we can see ourselves, but they can never know exactly what’s going on in our head. I think we think so much there’s just no way that we could even tell everyone all of our thoughts.
It’d be overwhelming, as you pointed out. No one would ever pay attention.
So, I’m assuming you are probably spending Valentine’s Day in the hospital, which is sad. I’m also going to assume that you’re not a hopeless romantic and probably you’re whatever the opposite is of a hopeless romantic.
I was trying to think of a middle ground for us. You love computers, and I don’t own one, so that’s out.
I’m a nurse, and you hate them, so that’s out.
How do you feel about sheep?
Sincerely,
The Healing Pen
HI HEALING PEN,
You’re right. I spent Valentine’s Day in the hospital.
Probably because of that, my opinion of nurses has not changed.
I’m sorry, I guess I was in kind of a bad mood, and I resented the fact that I had to write to someone I didn’t even know, simply because someone else wanted me to. When I said I love computers, I meant I’m working on building an app.
It’s actually something I do in my spare time. I’m into coding and have written a couple, but nothing that’s taken off. Not that it has to take off in order for me to consider it worthwhile. It’s just once I had mine ready, someone else had already done it and had been more successful than me.
I’ll have to get back to you on the sheep question. I’ve never thought about them.
Best regards,
Computer Nerd
DEAR COMPUTER NERD,
You’ve never thought about sheep? Don’t you count them at night when you can’t sleep? I guess that’s what I was thinking. Other than the fact that lambs are cute. But lambs, like every other baby animal, grow up, so I wouldn’t actually want one. But if I had to count sheep, I suppose I would picture a lamb in my mind, because it’s more fun to count cute things, right?
I’m sorry Valentine’s Day did not improve your opinion of nurses. I think I’m starting to understand what the problem is, which, I have to admit, makes me more curious about you.
I think there are a lot of things you’re not telling me.
I think I like that because I think I’d rather not know.
The idea of an app is super cool. What kind of app?
Sincerely,
The Healing Pen
HEY HEALING PEN,
I guess that was my negative attitude coming out again, although Valentine’s Day really did stink here.
I don’t even like chocolate.
The app I was working on tracks stats. Sports stats, team stats, and individual player stats, but I wanted it to be all-encompassing—basically, any stat you ever wanted would be on the app.
It was a pretty big thing, but someone else has already done it.
I’m still working on it, just because I like it, but it will probably never get published, because, like I said, it’s already been done.
I guess I’m back to the drawing board. It’s okay. I have plenty of time to think here. It’s going to be another week before I could even consider going home. Not that I’m in a big rush to go there. I still won’t be allowed to go anywhere.
No offense, but I’m looking forward to getting out and being able to do more than watch TV and write letters.
I suppose it’s been kind of rude of me not to ask you what you like to do. Other than write letters and be a nurse.
Best regards,
Computer Geek
Chapter 4
Journee stared at the paper in front of her. Normally when she got a letter, she wrote back within three or four days. Computer Geek had been doing the same, whether because he wanted to or because he was being made to, she wasn’t sure. But that way, both of them got a letter a week.
Still, she could hardly name the emotion that vacillated in her chest. She refused to label it hurt. She didn’t even like the guy, not much anyway, so he couldn’t hurt her.
Disappointment? Maybe that was it. She had high hopes for having a fun pen pal relationship. Nothing romantic, just a fun friendship through letters.
But the guy seemed closed off and distant.
In this last letter...she looked down at it on her desk, where it had sat for the last ten days.
It was like he was forcing himself to ask something about her. Really? He was so uninterested in writing and in her and in having anything to do with her that he had to be like, oh yeah, I guess I’m being rude not to ask anything about you. Not that I want to know.
She shouldn’t take it personally. It wasn’t her job to be his best friend. It was her job to cheer him up. And she hadn’t been doing that well.
Obviously, the man wasn’t interested in anything she was interested in. So, she supposed it was up to her to be interested in what he was.
But what was that? The other thing he loved he couldn’t tell her, and she couldn’t get upset with it because the terms of the pen pal relationship were to not disclose any details of their personal life. Even her saying she was a nurse might have gone a little close to that line, although there were lots of nurses in the country. It wasn’t exactly an identifying characteristic.
She racked her brain as she had been doing for ten days to find something, anything, that she could talk to the man about that wouldn’t allow the irritation that she felt at his less-than-complimentary question to show through.
Maybe he was shy. She hadn’t considered that. Maybe he didn’t know how to ask without feeling like he was being rude or pushy.
Maybe he just wasn’t a very good writer and didn’t know how to phrase things so that it didn’t hurt her feelings.
Always think the best of people. Assume the best in their motivations.
Race had told all of them that throughout their teen years. He was right as always. It did make things go more smoothly, when one assumed the best about others.
She would go with it, because it was right. She needed to assume the best and not be offended over stupid things.
But what to say?
It was two days later before she finally figured something out. She actually thought it was a really great idea.
But she supposed she’d have to wait and see what Computer Geek thought.
Hopefully, he wrote back quickly.
Dear Computer Geek,
I have an idea for an app.
As far as I know, and I looked it up online, no one else is doing anything like this.
Ready?
What if you made a hospital app?
I know you don’t like nurses, but what if there was an app to rate nurses? Or at least to rate hospitals and rate the service that you feel you’re getting in the hospital?
I think you’d have to be careful, because you wouldn’t want to make anyone mad or hurt anyone’s feelings, but it could be kind of like stats for sports figures? You could include doctors in it too.
Even the food...you could have a place to rate the quality of the TV or the physical therapists. Really, the sky is the limit.
And as a nurse, I think it would inspire me to want to do better. Of course, I wouldn’t like reviews or comments that weren’t complimentary, but it could be like restaurant reviews. Everybody has their own opinion.