Dei'dra
I'm surprised my shift flew by so quickly. The emergency room is normally packed during the Holiday season.
Between people using electric fryers indoors and almost blowing their entire family up to falling through roofs trying to put Christmas decorations up. I have seen it all.
It's a blessing that the hospital is like this though. I hope everyone can remain safe, sound and healthy.
"You 'bout ready to hit the road?" My friend, Jackie asked me.
Jackie moved from Tennessee to California about 5 years. She has two sons who are both well-established in their careers. She wanted them to move to California but she said they'll forever be country boys so they stayed back home.
Jackie is about 15 years older than me but you wouldn't even know how old she was unless she told you herself.
When she first started working here, we immediately hit it off.
We even meet up outside of work from time to time. Jackie is
"You got everything?" I asked her.
"Yes I got everything, let's get a move on hear?"
I got up from the nurses station and walked with Jackie out of the hospital.
She held her back and limped in pain.
"What is it today? Your back or your hip?" I asked.
"Hush that noise! Ain't nothing ailin' me, I'm just worn out" she said in her thick southern accent.
"When are you going to let those boys retire you like they've been insisting on doing since you've moved out here?"
We got to my car and I unlocked the doors to get in.
"My boys will only take care of me if I move back to Memphis and I don't want to" she scoffed.
"Why not?"
"They just wanna be all in my business and I'm not havin' that, you hear me?"
"I do" I laughed.
"Ever since my Roger passed away, they thought that I was supposed to stop living too" she said said, "Roger and I always dreamt of visiting California and we never got the chance because life happened. But as soon as I got the chance, I booked it out of that 'ole country place and came here to live out my California dream."
I started the car and headed to her place.
"How's Hope doing?" I asked her.
Hope is Jackie's granddaughter. She came out here back in august when she began attending UCLA.
"She's doing really good, she actually lives on campus now" she answered.
"Does she like it?" I asked.
"Yes she said she's finally getting to experience college life in its full form. I just hope that she learns a thing or two about how to put some outfits together or somethin'."
"What do you mean by that?"
"My daddy raised all 11 of his kids on a farm. We ran outside in the field barefooted, chased chickens for fun and we even played in the mud. All 11 of us put together could still never be as country as that granddaughter of mine! I ain't lyin'."
