I never thought I would come back to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Even after all these years, my time here still feels like a dream. This is the place where I met my first love. Maybe that's why I feel like it was like dream. Granted, I was in my early 20's and I couldn't wait to leave home. Back then my thoughts were the furthest away from my family the better. I'm not saying that my family was bad or mean to me, it's just that I grew up in a religious home. I wanted to make my own choices. I wanted to experience young love, but I never got to experience that because it was not appropriate to have a boyfriend when growing up in the Kahaku household. I was just like any other girl my age. I liked boys, but nothing ever became of it. I may have had puppy love in grade school, but we just held hands, and I NEVER told my parents. In middle school I did have someone that we were boyfriend and girlfriend, however, I never kissed him. I was the only one that did not kiss her boyfriend. Well, not like how the other kids in my grade were kissing their special someone. Then one day I was told, by a classmate, that he wanted to break up with me. I didn't believe it until I saw him holding hands with another girl I thought was my friend. Huh, that was a tough lesson. Not that I was sad for losing my boyfriend, but because my friend didn't even tell me that she liked him. Anyways getting back on topic, I've just been back to Fort Lauderdale for maybe less than 24 hours. It's not like I have family here, but I do have some friends that I've kept in touch with throughout the years. "Oh, my goodness, I'm late. I'm sorry. I'll totally treat for dinner" I heard a voice break into my train of thought. It was Eliza, who plop herself down at the table I was sitting at. Eliza, a very outgoing woman, is married with a baby on the way. Her skin is light and compliments her Spanish heritage. Her chocolate brown-colored eyes are almond shaped. When I look into her eyes, I always get a feeling that she is up to some type of mischief. Her tight curls are pulled behind her head into a tight ponytail. She is 5'5 with an average figure. When you look at her face, she has such a great complexion that makes me totally envious of her. Tonight, she is wearing a simple ankle length dress that shows her big baby bump. We decided to meet at a local bar and grill to catch up. "I wasn't really looking at the time, so I wouldn't know if you are late or if I just came early" I said with a greeting smile.
I met Eliza while we were working at a local restaurant. She was really nice and befriended me right away. Totally opposite of how I am. Though we have different personalities, we, for the most part, got along. "Did you order already" she asked me as I stood up to give her a hug. I shook my head side to side and replied, "I was reminiscing about living here and phased out a bit." From what I have been told ever since I was young, I had a chip on my shoulder, or I was called a bitch. I don't agree with that statement at all, the thing is, I am very socially awkward. To anyone who knows what socially awkward is, well that was and is me. Especially in a new environment. And meeting new people. For example, I was the one in the corner by myself when I would be invited to parties. Or when everyone was in a group talking, I would try to say something, but no one understood what I was saying or someone else already spoke over me. Which is why I wondered why I even tried to speak and join in a conversation. I don’t know why I even tried. Ok, I lied, I was trying to be sociable, though I always failed completely. A total failure in all social settings. So, I gave up trying to talk at social gatherings. Thus, the comment of me having a chip on my shoulder. Lucky for me there are some people, like Eliza, who still tried to become friends with me. When we started talking at work, she understood that certain settings makes me uncomfortable. That didn't stop her from inviting me though. I appreciated the invitation every time she asked, even though I turned her down every single time. And that is how our long-lasting friendship started. "So, Orion is going to join us, if you don't mind" she stated. I smiled at her with a little chuckle. "Since you already told him he could join us what more can I say" I replied back in a light manner. "But you know I never did well with your group of friends, so if it's just him, ok," I added half-heartedly. I didn't want to offend her. Her friends are her high school classmates, so I'm a bit envious that they kept in touch for so long. I tried to keep in touch with people, but it just wasn't meant to be for me. "He called me earlier just to say hey. I mentioned you were here. He then asked if I was meeting up with you. I said yes. He said he wanted to join. I told him OK. But we don't have to wait for him to order. So, let's order" she started off saying that straight forwardly but then her voice became singy songy the more she relayed her conversation with Orion. She was in a happy mood. It was also quite impressive how fast and in one breath she said all of that. "I really don't mind, but I am hungry" I said. As I looked at the menu, I thought why, I am just going to get the sampler. I'm not going to eat it all, but the sampler never lets me down. The waitress comes to our table, puts a glass of water in front of each of us, takes our order, then leaves. "It's great to see you. In person. F******k is great but not great at the same time" she says. "I know what you mean" I said. Our food didn't take long to get brought out because this place wasn't that busy right now, however, the dinner rush should be starting soon. "What brings you back here? Like for real" she asked, I sighed at first. My thoughts turned to my boys who were all grown and have their own lives. It's a bit depressing without them. And lonely. "It's been lonely since my babies are all grown up. They're enlisted in the military, and totally enjoy what they do" I said in a matter-of-fact way. I thought about that answer. I am going through a transition in my life that I don't know how to navigate. Plus, it's not like I ever married again. I don't know if I ever want to get remarried. Furthermore, I am 38 years old. It's not going to be easy to find a man that I would tolerate being around me. Or would tolerate me. Yep, I'm lost. With a big smile on her face, Eliza said, "well, you can start new here. It's so good to have you here, no matter how long you decide to stay. Coming back will be good for you. I promise." At that point the waitress brought over our food. It looks so good. It was filled with mozzarella sticks and marinara, fries, and chicken fingers. Eliza also ordered a sampler. Her plate was filled with cheesy potato skins, buffalo wings with ranch dipping sauce, and onion rings. I inhaled deeply taking in the aroma of the food, "looks and smells really good" I said dreamily. "It does" Eliza agreed. “I hope my eyes aren’t bigger than my stomach because that would not be good” I stated wistfully then added, “oh well, leftovers is ok.” Then we both dug in. The first bite we both took invoked an orgasmic satisfied sound and look on both our faces. The restaurant wasn’t totally empty, so we got a few questioning gazes. We didn’t care though, we just kept eating. “What do you plan on doing here for work,” she questioned. “I got hired at a hospital as a phlebotomist. So, for now that’ll do” I answered. When she looked at me with a blank stare, I said punctuating each word, “I am going to draw blood from people.” Her mouth made a “Oh” without any sound coming out. “So, you’re a vampire” she said. I smiled and nodded while I took another bite. After I swallowed, I added with a bigger smile on my face and said “basically, just without the death part.” That made us both laugh. “When do you start,” she asked. “In two days, so I’ll relax before I start because I don’t know when I’ll have some downtime after I start” I offered. “What do you mean” she asked. I replied, “Well, hospitals are open 24 hours 7 days a week. Basically, if someone calls in sick, someone else must cover their shift. Plus, I’m working the graveyard shift. So, I expect someone will be calling me to come in early, ask to stay late, or do a double shift which sucks. But the money is good, however, the drawback is it takes a toll on the body and mind.” Then to myself I thought, and since I got no one at home, it shouldn’t be a problem for me. Thinking that, I could only sigh on the inside.Orion It didn’t take long for my eyes to find where she was sitting with Eliza. I stood near the entrance at the hostess desk for bit taking her in. "She's really back" I whispered to myself. Her face is plain of makeup, or maybe she has but very light. She still looks delicate. Her figure is complimentary to her height. She’s smiling at something Eliza said. “Sir, how many in your party” I heard the hostess ask. “They are already here” I replied. The hostess nodded and didn’t continue to engage in a conversation. Is it bad if I want to get to know a friend’s ex-girlfriend? It’s been many years since she left, so it shouldn’t be a problem. Right? Everyone should have moved on. Right? Do I even care what anyone would think? My eyes slowly started to refocus, and I see Eliza waving at me. I put my hand up to wave back. She continued to look my way with a smile. My feet start moving towards their table. As I got closer, Eliza says “hey, I’m glad you made it.” I bend my
As I watched Eliza walking out I kind of felt uncomfortable. Bring on the social awkwardness. No matter how old I am, I will always be this. “Do you want desert” Orion asked. “Um, no thank you” I responded. I looked at the table and most of the food was gone. I really wanted to have desert, but I do not know what or how act with Orion sitting right in front of me. My whole body is tight. I had to tell myself, just treat him as if he was Eliza. Or any other friend that I have. Ok, I don’t have many friends. Honestly, I’d rather be here by myself than to sit across Orion. “Ok, well do you mind sitting with me while I have desert” he stated. My right eyebrow lifted. He noticed it and smiled. “We can catch up more. There wasn’t much of an opportunity to get to know each other back then, but now, why not” he said. I had to take a beat and think about it. Ok, I am 38 years old. My experiences have never given me life long close friends. Not that I’m complaining about it. I’m j
I’m starting to get to know my way around the hospital. Being in a new environment is exciting, but patients are still the same. It’s a good thing that I like what I do. Even though I only draw blood from these patients, it makes me feel that I am helping in some way. A very small way. Every early morning rounds begin, and the phlebotomist splits into two teams. Rounds is when the phlebotomist draw blood from the inpatients at a designative time, since there tends to be a lot of orders the phlebotomist all leave the lab at the same time. All orders are from the attending physicians for each patient. Each team has a leader that everyone in that team reports to. The team leader then keeps everyone focused to make sure all team members are not falling behind with their assigned blood draws. We are then assigned to go to different areas of the hospital to expedite the patients that need to have their blood drawn. My team leader is Nelly. After she gave me my draws, I left her. R
“Bossman, why you here, man” Marcus asked as he spotted me walking into the shop. “Why not? If I don’t come, you guys might get into trouble and burn this place down” I said in a teasing way. “Ha Ha, not even, you really helped all of us out, so we owe you. There is no way we would intentionally let you down” Marcus said leaning against the car he was working on. “I know. How’s it going here” I asked. “Oh, you know, can’t complain. Business is good. Customers keep coming in and we keep doing what we gotta do” Marcus said. These guys know their stuff when it comes to fixing cars. “That’s good. Well, I’ll be in the office” I said and went upstairs. I opened my own service station a few years ago. In addition to gas, I also have mechanics in house to fix cars. The guys I hire are those who are down on their luck and need a helping hand. I didn’t intentionally make my business this way it just became like this. They are a good bunch of guys, rough guys, but still good guys.
Lara Upon waking I took a shower and got ready for work, I decided to text Orion. TEXT: Lara: Good Evening! After sending the text I was wondering what I wanted to eat. The thing is, I never know what I want to eat. Basically, it’s never fun or fulfilling to cook for myself. It feels lonely. So, I just settled on drinking some orange juice, that should be good enough for now. While I was drinking my phone binged with a text message. I looked at it. It read Orion. I swiped the message open. TEXT: Orion: Good Evening. How did you sleep. I replied TEXT: Lara: It was pretty restful. How was your day? He replied TEXT:Orion: No problems at work, just a lot of paper work. TEXT Lara: Sounds boring. Hehe. What are you doing now. TEXT:Orion: haha, it is boring, but worth it. I’m hanging out with a friend. TEXT:Lara: Nice. So, I was wondering, will it be ok if I brought someone to you party?Ok, so after I asked that question, I wanted to take it back. It’s not like I wa
Lara “Girl what’s your address. I’ll come over and get ready at your place” Shantel said over my speaker phone. “Geez, it’s just a backyard party, there’s no need to go over the top” I said. “Hey, I never go out, so I’d like to look my best” Shantel replied. “Seriously” I asked exasperated. “Yes, it’s been a while and I’m single so I’d like to look at least decent. Come on, I live in scrubs, so why not dress up” she replied in a whinny way. I chuckled and said, “alright, alright. I’ll drop a location pin for you. Come over. We’ll get ready together.” “Great” she replied, then we hung. 30 minutes later, I was still just lounging around listening to an audiobook and playing on my phone. Basically, doing a whole bunch of nothing. That’s when I heard a knock on my door. I got up, walked over to the door and opened it. As the door was being open I her Shantel’s voice saying, “I’m here” in a singy songy way. I smiled and said, “come on in,” then I stepped back. As I was
Lara I didn’t expect to see Dr. Chase Cameron here tonight. I was already running late to get here because of some unexpected guess. It’s 10:15pm, I literally just walking into through the door when I saw Dr Cameron. He saw me and came straight up to me to talk. I didn’t want to be rude since he and I do work at the same hospital, so I chose to be polite. Speaking with him was fun and easy. At the moment he didn’t seem to show the arrogance that comes along with being a Medical Doctor. Well, that’s just my opinion of course because obviously, not all doctors are arrogant. My eyes glanced at the wall clock, and it seemed that I was talking to him for a good 30 minutes cause now it’s 10:45pm. I didn’t want to be rude to Dr. Cameron, but I also felt like I was being rude to Orion because I haven’t said hello yet. I started feeling a little uneasy, when I glanced slightly over Dr. Cameron’s shoulder, I saw Orion looking straight at me. He was out in the yard, and I was in t
Orion Lara slammed into my chest. The plate with the cornbread she was holding smashed between us and crumbled to the ground. “Lara are you ok” I asked her. Looking her over from the top of her head to the tip of her feet. She looked a little startled. I looked behind her. “Johanna, why did you do that” I spoke in a cold tone, my eyes piercing through her with anger. “What are you doing? Do you remember you asked me to be here” Johanna said sweetly, but she was fuming on the inside. Crown, not missing a beat started laughing. “I do believe you invited yourself,” Crown said as he walked over to my side. “Lara are you ok” he directed his question to Lara. “I’m fine. My cornbread died though,” she said pitifully. She looked totally dejected. I chuckled on the inside. What is it with that cornbread, I thought. I turned my attention back to Johanna. “You need to leave. Now,” I told her. “I’m not leaving. She should leave,” Johanna said as she pointed her finger towards La