I catch Jo’s eye once more and recognize her glee. It reminds me of the delight I felt spitting in Cole’s face.
I give her my realest smile of the night.
People always say revenge is best served cold but, as I watch Julian deal with chowder in places where chowder should never be, I think it’s best served hot.
13Moyo
THE GIANT T-REX IN MY OFFICE ALWAYS DRIVES DARKNESSaway.
Patients and their guardians come here with apprehension, fear, or even tears, but it’s hard to stay gloomy around Sandra, with her tiny arms and big feet. The way she stumbles through a scenic jungle with a clear-blue lake and a volcano in the background reminds me that my patients can handle any terrain, even when their adults think otherwise.
Today, I need that same reassurance.
I rest my head against the tree that connects one wall to another. Thoughts of the catastrophic date with Julian plague my mind.
Am I cursed? I’ve not had a date that piss-poor since college when I saw a drunk rando peeing in the parking lot on my way back to my dorm, after a lackluster date with a cute Econ major who turned out to be an anti-vaxxer.
Did I make the wrong decision getting back onboard withCupid’s Bow? Will I get another bad match? What ifCupid’s Bowasked that couple to lie? What if they were hired actors? I should have just talked to that Maxwell guy at the mixer.
My 10 a.m. spiral, sponsored by a last-minute cancellation, ends when the best nurse in the whole hospital drops by.
“Aren’t you meant to be doing paperwork or something?” Yaz’s hair enters the room before she does; it always does. Her puffy hair sits high in a pineapple bun, and her face sports minimal makeup and a quizzical look. She enters the room in her soft pink scrubs, matching shoes, and terrifyingly calm energy.
Yaz joined the hospital almost two years ago and has been a blessing ever since. When I joined, fresh out of my fellowship, I was one of a handful of Black people in the building. Another reason why Sunday brunch and my relationship with the girls is so important; I was lonely. I’d come to work, be “presentable,” then return home exhausted, only to do it again the next day. Community means everything to me, so when I noticed Yaz’s coily bun in the lunchroom for the first time, I almost screamed. I ran up and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around with a scowl, but when her eyes landed on my Black face, her smile grew. We spent lunch together, and the rest is history.
I cross my arms and lean back in my chair. “You’re chill today. What’s up?”
Yaz is the most organized person, always no-nonsense in the office, but a completely different person outside the four walls of professionalism. She currently has outside energy, and it’s throwing me off.
Yaz finally looks at me and it’s accusatory. Her eyes are wide and searching. She scans me like I’m at the airport, and my confusion grows. I lift my eyebrows and shake my head. She cocks her head to the side, giving me a deadpan look.
“Are you forgetting something?” she asks.
Did I forget something? I turn to my computer, a gigantic, stone-age device throwing off heat. There are tons of new emails but nothing urgent. And no changes to my schedule.
Yaz hops off the table. “It’s nothing in your email,” she says and tries to cover her laughter with a cough.
I’m still reeling. My eyes dart around the room, ensuring I have all my materials. I rummage through my bag to see if I left anything at home.
“I’m lost,” I say finally, throwing my arms in the air.
“Imagine my surprise hearing from Anjie about you going on a date with some customer service guy from that dating app!” Her tone is playful but has some annoyance behind it. Yaz hates being out of the loop. She got close to Anjie after I took her to the restaurant. She tasted Nigerian food, became Anjie’s number-one fan, and now she talks to my best friend without me.
“I don’t know what kind of game of ‘Telephone’ this is, but I did not go on a date with any customer service guy,” I say. Will I be able to go one day without thinking about that vexing Niyi and how his voice scratched an itch I didn’t know I had?
“So, there was no date?” Yaz asks.
“Not with any customer service guy.”
“Why not? Anjie seems to be rooting for him.”
“He’s cute, but mildly aggravating if you ask me. Most importantly, he’s my dating coach, and after seeing the couples at theCupid’s Bowmixer, I want to trust the system. Which means waiting for matches and not pursuing some annoying guy just because he looks good. Simple. Plus, he’s not my type,” I huff.
Yaz smirks. “Oh, I see why she’s rooting for him. He riles you up,” she says with a shimmy.
Instead of answering, I turn to my email. I am not rehashing this Niyi conversation with someone else. I can’t keep thinking about him, especially not at work.
“Wait, before you go back to work mode. How was the date with whomever it was you went out with, then?”
