Not So Black and White

Chapter 14

It had been four days since I sat on the brick stoop, sitting so close next to James that I could nearly taste his cigar. I didn't have feelings for Mr. Black, but I did want to kiss him then and there. I wanted to taste the subtle sweet and musky dips of saliva from his nightly cigars. He's smoked two every night on his brick stoop since I sat there with him. Maybe he was celebrating something, or trying to relax. I wanted to ask him but as much as I wanted to, I couldn't bring myself to act normal and walk over there. On the fifth morning I sucked down a cup of coffee while I ironed my new green scrubs scrubs. I was no longer a nurse on orientation and I passed my boards which meant I was officially a registered nurse at Mass General's birthing pavilion. Right before I left I noticed my flip flops nearly crushed the letter slipped under my door. It was a small white envelope that contained a single piece of paper.Dear Miss Hilder, Due to a personal financial hardship I will no longer be able to continue to give you and Mr. Black the generous discount of rent anymore. It comes with great pain that I cannot carry out this form of my gratitude anymore and I want you and Mr. Black to know that I wouldn't be doing this unless it was absolutely necessary. I hope you can forgive me. A rent of $2800 a month will start after the this rent's month. I understand if you must move and there will be no penalty if you do. Thank you. My stomach dropped, my new rent was more money than I had ever made in my entire life. I lived in a two bedroom, townhouse that comes with parking, a fireplace on freakin Beacon street. Luckily my commute on the T was long enough to allow me to calculate the amount of roommates that could this possible. Soon as I got into work I went to several staff lounge areas and tacked them to the flyers boards. IN NEED OF TWO ROOMMATES: Beacon Street Townhouse, parking spot available, hardwood floors, fireplace and beautiful view. 1 full bedroom, and two makeshift but comfortable bedrooms available for less rent. Please contact Nurse Anna Hilder today  if interested. By the end of the day I had 15 emails of interested doctors, nurses and other people. I immediately went through and deleted anyone who was affiliated with psychology, dermatology or who wasn't even a doctor or a nurse, they weren't worth my time. It then left five people, three surgeons and two nurses. I met each one for 10 minutes the next day. I first met Brian Kelts, 28 years old, 4th year resident, aspiring peds surgeon. Very handsome, bright blue eyes, wavy thick blonde hair and maybe 6'2''. There didn't seem to be much wrong with him, he seemed normal and boring with a nice fiancee."She wouldn't mind you living with a girl?" I teased. "Nah, Georgina-my fiancee is pretty cool. She's doing her residency in San Diego. I see her maybe once a month." I then met Lucy Harding's, 29 years old, 4th year resident as well, she's actually in Brian's class. Half Spanish, wild and tight curly black hard barely tamed by her clip holding it back, maybe it was her big head making her hair uncontrollable. "I know you're just a nurse, but from what I've heard you're cool and smart. Like you've couldn't been a doctor, or something. I'm clean, quiet, I like my vodka, but I'm not rowdy and I like to garden and cook." She seemed a little arrogant and just by the way she sat with one leg sprawled out and the other up on the seat close to her chest, like she so confident in her abilities to slice someone open, she didn't need to be lady-like or proper to impress anyone with first impressions. I kind of liked it. The next three were all duds, Robert Nunce was immediately nixed once he said, "This is great, I can't wait to move out of my parents!" Caroline Murray was crossed off the list when she asked if she could install an "exercise poll" in the house and finally, Mary Turner was rejected when she asked to bring 2 dogs and 3 cats along. This finally left, Lucy and Brian to be my two roommates, which wasn't bad at all. Brian was a resident in pediatric surgery so I often saw him on the birthing wing taking the sick babies to the peds unit and for Lucy, well, as she put it, "kicking ortho's ass,". I only could hope we could all survive this move.