"Hey. Remember me?" the familiar baritone voice spoke from the other side of the phone and Joanne couldn't help the smile that broke out on her face. She could vividly remember how they both would argue, tease each other and how he would relentlessly get on her nerves at every chance he got. "Of course, I do. You always happen to leave a lasting impression" she teased. "It's no surprise how I get the girls" Terry replied cockily and she laughed. "You really haven't changed" she said.
....
"So, what brought you to the hospital that day?" Joanne asked. "Well, I came for my quarterly check up" he explained further, " the firm I work in made it mandatory for each employee to have a quarterly check-up and it so happened to be at that hospital". "Oh okay.. then how come I've never really seen you around?" Joanne questioned. "You and your curiosity.... Well, I just moved to Brooklyn..I think a month ago. I was based in Alaska, working under one of their branches and then I got promoted to being a manager in this branch and had to move" He explained. "Congrats on the promotion!". "Thanks... So, what about you? I can see you're doing so well for yourself also". "Yeah, I am. I've actually never felt so dependent and fulfilled" Joanne said. "I'm sure you haven't" Terry teased and she chuckled.
"But to be honest, I really miss you guys so much...all of you" Joanne said with a sigh. "The feeling's mutual. Our high school years was one wonderful ride. I can still remember most of our baseless arguments, truth or dare games and most importantly,... your relentless list of pursuers". He said and they both laughed. "You've gotta be kidding me" and more laughter followed. "I guess this is my queue to get going. We'll talk later" Terry said. "Alright, bye. Take care" Joanne said and then hung up.
High school.... What a whirlwind! It was the best years in the life of almost every teenage.. almost. Joanne let out a sigh and got back to cleaning. Today was a Saturday and she wasn't to return to work till Monday morning so she thought to make use of this opportunity. She did her laundry, clean up and made sure she got her apartment in shape. She didn't always have time for this so she wanted to make most of this day.
By the time Joanne was done, it was already 1pm. She quickly hit the shower and changed out of her sweaty clothes. Looking out the window, she decided to go out for lunch. She got changed into a pair of baggy jeans and a white tee. She got her sling bag, putting her phone, lip gloss, some cash, her card and a few essentials in it. Making sure she'd gotten everything, she got out and locked her apartment door before heading out.
It'd been long since Joanne actually got time to go out and unwind and she decided to make most of her day. She first of all headed to the river cafe where she ordered the famous hot foie gras. In no time, her orders arrived and she munched leisurely on her food. After having lunch and clearing her bills, she headed out of the cafe. For the next few hours, Joanne visited several places in town. She visited the park, a gaming alley and finally, on her way home, she decided to get a few groceries and cosmetics.
She swiftly and skillfully manoeuvred two shopping carts. One for groceries and the other for cosmetics. She'd mainly gotten cereals, frozen beef and stale food. She knew they weren't healthy but due to her usual tight schedule and stressful work routine, she frequently skipped meals and had to stick to stale foods in order to relieve her the stress of cooking.
She rolled her carts over to the counter and luckily, didn't have to wait in line. She left the shopping mart with two large bags in hand and quickly got into a taxi. The sky was already getting dark, having a bright splash of orange on it, emphasising the beautiful sunset...
"We're here!" the driver called out and she handed him over some dollar bills. She got into her apartment and put away the things she'd got, putting each one of them in their dutiful positions.
.....
"Good morning, Vicki" Joanne greeted with a polite smile as she headed for her station. It was exactly 7am when Joanne arrived at the hospital –just in time for the beginning of her shift. "Morning, Jo"Vicki replied and got back to work. Joanne dropped her things and made to check in on her assigned patients. First was Bella. Bella was a six year old cutie suffering from type 1 diabetes. She was first admitted a month back and since had been in the hospital undergoing treatment. Her parents and family do frequently visit her and Joanne wasn't surprised when she met her mum, Mrs. Bulk in the hospital room.
"Good morning Miss Joanne" a bubbly Bella greeted. " Good morning sweetie. How are you feeling?" Joanne asked checking her temperature and overall body condition. " I feel soo good.. Will I be able to go home soon?" Bella asked. "If you keep on being a good girl, taking your drugs and finishing your meals, you'd be home in no time" Joanne assured gently patting her head with a warm smile. "Okay. From now on, I'll do just that" Bella reasoned and her mum smiled. "Alright, I'll go check on the other patients. Aunt Jo will be back soon" Joanne said and made to leave. Mrs. Bulk, making use of the opportunity, followed her out and called after her.
"Joanne!" Mrs. Bulk called out. "Mrs. Bulk" she acknowledged. Mrs Bulk was an advanced lady within her mid forties. She'd had Bella, their only child at thirty nine. Mrs Bulk was small in statue, average heighted and was really beautiful–despite her age. "I just wanted to thank you.. Bella is recovering really fast and she tends to talk non stop about you. How you get her treats and her favourite dishes..... I'm just really grateful.." Mrs. Bulk's eyes brimmed with tears. "You don't need to thank me. I'm just doing my job" Joanne said meekly and Mrs. Bulk shook her head. "I understand this is all your job but still,....I'm really grateful" She sighed. "In that case, you're welcome and I'm sure Bella must be waiting for you" Joanne said and Mrs Bulk nodded before walking away...