Red Converse, Piano Keys, and Love Stories

Eleven

Three years after Kiato and I moved in together, Kaito had graduated and began working at a publishing company in Fremont. I was worried his job would take him elsewhere, because I didn't want to lose my precious roommate, but Fremont was only a thirty minute drive from our place. Kaito and I shared a car. He worked farther away so I told him to use the car, and I biked. At first he felt bad, but I liked biking to campus; It reminded me of Brookings.

At this point I was in my first year of medical school and I was in the middle of my internship at Stanford University Medical Center. We were both working hard and we were both having lots of fun.

I worked at the hospital constantly. I was learning how to diagnose patients and treat them effectively. Sometimes I had to refer my patients to other doctors, which at first I didn't like, but it was for the best. I may have learned that lesson the hard way... regardless, on this particular day I was working with a heart patient.

I was working the clinic and he came in complaining of chest pain. He was sitting on the examination bed massaging his chest. I approached him as I approached any patient.

"Hello. I'm Doctor Slater and I'll be helping you today. What's brought you here today?" I asked simply.

He looked up at me with a smirk.

"You could be a little more welcoming, ya know. Especially with a face like yours."

I wanted to smack him. I probably would have back then, when I was eighteen. Now I'm twenty-four and I've learned that apparently my actions have consequences.

I exhaled deeply.

"Are you experiencing pain in your chest?"

"Nope. I'm just clutching my chest, because you are so pretty." He said smugly.

I looked at his chart.

"I see you've been here before. Looks like you need a specialized heartburn prescription refilled. I can do that for you now, and you'll be on your way."

I put his chart back and began to leave when he stopped me.

"Hey! You're a seer right?" he asked genuinely.

I sighed. I've dealt with questions all throughout college, medical school, and even with patients. So far there have only been a couple confrontations that went poorly.

I walked back over to him.

"I am."

"Then you can see my heart?"

"Yes."

Most of the time I wouldn't look at someone's heart unless I had a reason. Sometimes I would notice a heart by chance, but that rarely happened. At this point I was looking at his heart in detail. Something about it seemed very familiar.

My face must have looked confused, because he told me what I was looking for.

"It's misshapen. I have a heart deformity. Can you tell?"

"I can," I nodded.

"You know what that means?"

I nodded.

"No soulmate for me," he said somewhat mockingly.

I didn't know what to say. In all this time I had never met someone like me. I never met someone who could even attempt to understand how I felt. I began to feel overwhelming empathy for him. When he walked in I saw a rude and abrasive person, but now I could only see someone who was lonely and tired. I could only see myself.

"Could you get my medicine now?" He asked.

For the first time I saw his real face. He had soft skin and some slight wrinkles. He must have worried often throughout his life so far.