Stereotypes || LGBTQ+

I

(DISCLAIMER!!! Anything written in Japanese will be from Google Translate! Please don't come for me if something is translated wrong! xx)

          Finally, work was over, I could head home. Listen, I'm not saying I hate being a nurse, but, I certainly wouldn't have chose this career path if I had a choice. That's the only way my parents would pay for my tuition, and I don't want thousands of dollars of debt to be on my mind as well as starting a family. As I make my way through the dark parking garage, I get a text. It reads:

          Hey babe, how's sushi for dinner? I know I'm not the best at making it, but it's fun. If that fails, we can always order pizza! XX

           I smile and roll my eyes as I respond with a simple "Yeah, that's fine. I'll always love your sushi!". I put my phone back in my pocket as I fish out my keys from one of the many pockets I have on my uniform. Driving was always something that I considered fun, it was personal time, but also, I loved going places, and I think getting in the car gave my brain a false sense of hope. I made sure to put my phone on silent and threw it in my purse that sat next to me in the passengers' seat so I couldn't tempt myself.

          I made it home shortly after 7 PM, seeing as the hospital wasn't too far from our apartment. As I walked through the door, I saw my fiancé in the kitchen, cooking what I presumed to be rice. I threw my purse down on the couch, took off my jacket, and quickly walked into kitchen, giving him a slight peck on the cheek. He smiled in response. I ran to our bedroom to change into pajamas, making sure I threw my dirty work uniform into the washer immediately. Finally, I was able to sit down on the couch to check my phone again. I had received a text from my mother

          こんにちは親愛なる、あなたの一日はどうでしたか?親友のアカネが戻ってくることを一番知りたいと思ったのはあなただと思いました.

                                                                                                 愛、お母さん。

(Hello dear, how was your day? I figured you'd want to be the first to know that your best friend Akane is coming back.

                                                                                                   Love, Mom.)

           I typed up a response out of pure happiness, not really sure what to say.

           良かったです！ありがとうママ！夕食後あかねにメッセージします！愛している！

(It was good! Thank you mom! I will message Akane after dinner! I love you!)

Joseph came in with a plate of sushi, awkwardly cut, falling apart, and made with nothing but love. He sat the plate down in front of me and I kissed his cheek softly. "It's perfect!" I say excitedly. He smiles, "Well, why are you so happy?" I look down at the plate and then back up at him. "Remember Akane? My best friend from grade school? Her parents moved here with us?" He nods his head. "How can I not? Wherever you were, she was, and vice versa!" I giggle timidly, slightly embarrassed for whatever reason. "She coming back!" I say, ecstatically. He smiles a smile of pure happiness. "Good! When are you girls gonna meet up?" He asks, shoveling the last piece of sushi into his mouth. I shrugged. "I don't know, we haven't talked yet. My mother just messaged me. I told her I'd message Akane after dinner." I rested my head on his shoulder, chomping down on another piece of sushi. "I'm assuming you don't wanna talk about work?" He asks, raising an eyebrow with a smirk. "Eh," I respond. "Same as usual. Angry families, pleasant patients, that burn patient from Tuesday is getting better. He's claiming nothing really hurts anymore, so that's good. I had to hold a little boys hand as the Jessica, one of the other RNs on duty had to sew up a kids hand after he got a railroad spike shoved through it. The poor thing cried, I felt so bad." Joseph looked at me like I was insane. "How'd he get a spike in his hand?" I shrugged, picking up my last piece of falling-apart sushi and shoving it into my mouth.

          Later that night, in bed, I remembered that I never messaged Akane. I had to scroll through my messages and ended up just going to the contact app since I hadn't texted her since 2020 apparently.

          Hey girlie! My mom told me you were coming back into town, would you like to grab some coffee and catch up tomorrow? Maybe go see a movie? I don't have work tomorrow. Message me when you can! Love ya!

          She must've been waiting, because I got a response almost immediately.

          Hi sweetie! I'd love to catch up! Coffee would be amazing! I'd love to see a movie if you have time!! I missed you so much! It'll be nice to see you again, how's 8:30 AM?

          That's perfect! Can't wait to see you! Sleep well! xx

          I shut my phone off and pulled the blanket over my head. My back was so sore for some reason. I wasn't able to sleep, so I ended up just putting on the Simpsons until I fell asleep, but I was woken up about 5 minutes after I'd last looked at the clock by Josephs snoring. You'd think I'd be used to it by now. I picked up my phone and opened up Instagram, and I started scrolling through my feed, seeing pictures of pretty girls...hot girls, girls who made me feel the same was that I did about Joseph...no, what am I saying? Joseph is my fiancé, I love him. I like men! Not women! I need to stop scrolling, but I can't. One after another, these girls make me feel some sort of way that I've never felt towards anyone, which scared me. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with being gay at all! But...my parents thought differently. I was always told it was wrong, that I'd go to Hell. i don't believe that, but again, my parents do. I got up, headed to the bathroom, and grabbed a melatonin. Not long after I was in bed, I was knocked out.