On steamy, hot summer days, the parched soil cracks like ice into jagged lines resembling lightning blowing up the midnight sky. Summer craves to be quenched and begs to feel the invigorating shower that only rain can douse. It takes what it can get...
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Six Months Earlier
Exiting the hospital, I'm excited that it's Friday and happy that a much-needed weekend off awaits me.
Of course, it's raining. It's a warm summer rain and the perfect ending to this miserable day. I hate that I agreed to meet Kelsey's cousin at McGrath's after work. What's even worse is that Kelsey has made it her life mission to find me the love of my life. She keeps throwing me into the dating fire, and I foolishly keep getting burned.
Kelsey is a gorgeous auburn-haired thirty-two-year-old caring sweetheart. We met five years ago when we started at Harrisburg Hospital as radiologists. We hit it off right away. Kelsey is a bubbly married mother of three. I, however, am too serious and have never had a boyfriend for longer than six weeks. It's not that I don't want a lasting relationship, the perfect man for me has never crossed my path.
I brought a change of clothes to work to meet my date, not wanting to wear my scrubs. My look consists of jeans and a light sweater, fresh makeup, and hair in a high ponytail. The minimal effort in my appearance is because I don't give a damn.
I stand for a few moments underneath the hospital's awning before making a mad dash towards 2nd Street. The usual ten-minute walk to McGrath's takes me seven minutes. Rushing inside to escape the droplets from totally soaking through my clothes, I go to the restroom hoping that Dan or was it Dave, didn't notice my damp entrance.
My image in the mirror is comparable to a drowned city rat that regrettably emerged from Harrisburg's gutters. Gasping, I noticed that my soaked sweater revealed the frilly black laced bra underneath. I attempt to squeeze the excess moisture from my top before leaving the restroom with my arms crossed over my breasts. Can this day get any worse?
My eyes catch Gus waving to me from behind the bar. He smiles warmly; the staff here are like family to me. Aware that my arms are covering my overexposed chest, I nod and smile back.
I glance around the wooded decor bar. The exposed ceiling has four-by-four beams stained to match the stools, bar top, and high-top tables. The high-top tables are placed a few feet from the bar against a brick wall.
