Unfortunately, Matthew never calls or shows up, but the bright side is that dinner is delicious. Instead of tacos, I decide to order the most orgasmic steak, black bean and chipotle quesadilla ever and wash it down with two and a half glasses of bottomless margaritas. I don't normally indulge in food and alcohol like this because I was raised to eat super healthy, but sometimes a girl just needs to feed her soul a little lime and tequila.
“So how long have you been doing this?” Ben asks.
Out of all the standardized patient actors, Ben is the newest and I’ve learned more about him tonight than in the last few weeks we’ve been working together.
He’s a very polite thirty-ish aged guy with a cracked tooth and an attractive smile who moved here from the Midwest about a year ago and has been looking for steady work for a while now. He said a friend told him about the program, he applied, and started about a month ago.
I'm glad we had the chance to have dinner together and get to know each other a little better, especially because I think Bernadette is interested in him and she deserves a little happiness. The father of her second daughter cheated on her six weeks ago and she's been meaner than usual. It would certainly benefit everyone if something went her way.
“I’m not sure about the Hines kid either.” Casper brings up work again. “He’s adorable, but he was sweating bullets during our whole scenario. If he was the doctor I met in an emergency room, I’d asked to be transferred to another hospital.”
“They're all nervous when they first start, Casper,” I say, defending the student.
“This was beyond nerves. I think the kid just has an anxious personality or maybe even an anxiety disorder and he's going to struggle a lot in a residency. My mom was a police officer and had a major anxiety disorder. I may not be a doctor, but what I do know is that there are levels of pressure in many professions that not everyone is cut out for.”
Casper gets up to use the restroom.
“Maybe he’ll see the writing on the wall and quit,” Ben joins the conversation.
“I think as this crop of students continues to do more scenarios, they will work through their anxiety and grow into a level of confidence that they didn't have when they first started,” I say whole-heartedly.
“Maybe,” Bernadette says in a tone of skepticism.
“Well, enough about the med students,” Ben responds with a smile. “I’ve shared a little about what brought me here. Why don't you girls tell me a little about you?”
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Bernadette smile so broadly. Even if Ben isn’t interested in her romantically and he’s just being polite, having an interaction with a different guy outside of her treacherous ex-boyfriend seems like a good idea to me.
“I’ve been working in the program the longest,” she says proudly. “Let’s see, I’ve been doing this for about three years and I met Casper and Gigi about a year ago. I like the flexibility the job offers. On my days off, I can get stuff done for my kids like doctor’s appointments and stuff life that. Did I mention I have kids?” she asks Ben sheepishly.
“No, I didn’t realize. You must have been a teenaged mom. You look so young.”
“No, I was in my twenties when I had them.” She blushes. “My babies are only three and five-years-old.”
Instead of asking Bernadette what her kids’ names are, because that would be the natural progression of the conversation, Ben redirects the conversation immediately toward me.
“And what about you Gigi? How did you end up in such a unique job like this one?”
“Um, well, I was a student at Temple and one of my drama professors told me about the gig. Evidently, a lot of theater students take these jobs. The memorization comes easy for us.”
“So, you were a drama major in school?”
“Yes, I was.”
“And what’s your favorite play?”
“Well, I prefer musical theater, so my favorites are Wicked, The Lion King and Hamilton.
“Have you seen those on Broadway?”
“Oh sure, dozens of times. I’m a theater geek. How about you?”
“Nah, we couldn’t afford indulgent nights out at the theater where I’m from.”
“Oh.”
Casper returns to the table as Bernadette and I give each other a sudden “what just happened” look because Ben’s response sounds resentful and almost angry to me.
“What’d I miss?” Casper asks the table.
An incoming call from a familiar number momentarily breaks the tension around the table.
“Guess where the fuck I am?”
Eleven
Knox
* * *
I’ve been twisted in knots all day over this girl and I’m not even sure how I got here.
I’m home for a purpose.
My Grandfather galvanized the family to prepare for a possible reckoning. I get it. I’m willing to do what is asked of me to keep everyone safe.
But this?
I didn’t sign up for this shit.
Protecting a woman who clearly doesn’t want my help is not only driving me to drink, but it’s a waste of fucking time. If she keeps this up she’s actually going to end up hurt or worse.
She’s a walking disaster.
A beautiful walking disaster.
I call her cell phone and can’t help but notice her reaction to me calling. It’s confusing. Her reaction is a strange brew of anxiety and amusement. Is she actually enjoying this cat-and-mouse game?
“Dare I ask how you found me?” she asks snidely when she answers the phone.
“It wasn’t hard.”
“Seriously, you’re creeping me out,” she whispers into the phone. “How did you find me?”
“Why don’t we leave some mystery to this relationship of ours. I wouldn’t want to teach you all of my tricks too quickly.”
“You’ve wasted your time coming here. I was coming home in about fifteen minutes, anyway.”
“Then I’m right on time to give you a ride home. You’ve been out for over twelve hours, Cinderella. It’s time for you to return to the real fucking world.”
“I got you good, didn’t I? You were snoring so hard, it was easy. I just tiptoed right out of the front door and you didn’t hear a thing. Some protector you are. Wait until I tell your dad about this. The golden child failed his assignment because he was dead asleep. You might want to ease up on those rum shots at night.”
The pure glee in her voice is irritating. She is enjoying every moment of this.
“This isn’t a game, Gigi.”
“Says you.”
I notice two little shifty eyes that cut into Gigi in a way that disturbs me. Immediately, I know it’s him.
“Who is that kid sitting next to you?”
“Why are we still talking on the phone when you’re standing right outside?” She says, raising her voice then returning to a whisper. “This is weird.”
“Who is he?” I ask again, pissed that she has zero clue who she’s even sitting next to.
She huffs exaggeratedly. “Which guy, Knox? I’m sitting with two men.”