Breaking The Rules

8

By the time I got to my place my poor arms were ready to fall off and I sighed heavily as I barely made it to the front door. Resting my arms for a moment as I placed the items on the doormat, I rifled through my bag in search of my house keys before once more gathering up my groceries and heading into the house.

A few hours later and I smiled as the plain sheets felt cold against my skin. My kitchen was filled, my belly satisfied and Friday was only 2 days away. I knew it was only a matter of time before I would be placed on the existing shift system put in place by the hospital but for the next 3 to 4 months, I had the luxury of working Monday through Friday from 6 to 6 or 8.

It sounded like a lot of hours to be working for 5 complete days and it was. I wanted to complain about how the money couldn't even begin to be sufficient enough to make up for the long days but getting paid is better than starving and it was enough to get by on a monthly basis.

The rest of the week went by painfully slow with the weather being a welcome change from cold and wet to bright and sunny. I knew that wouldn't last very long but everyone here did their best to enjoy it.

Sunday rolls around and I prepared my scrubs and meals for the week. My phone rang as I was engrossed in the show Peaky Blinders and I silently groaned as a video call from my mom popped onto the screen. Taking a deep breath, I braced myself for the hour long conversation.

"Hey mom, dad."

"Hey sweetheart. How was your first day at the hospital?" My mom asked, her face way too close to the phone as she peaked over her spectacles.

"It was fine."

"Did you meet any staff your age? You know, it's always good to have friends in your age group. Studies show that it's much harder to find common ground when your friend group has got that big age gap."

"Okay mom, I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

"Are you eating properly? You still look as skinny as the day we let you live on your own. Actually, if I do say so myself, you look much skinnier."

"Mom, I'm eating."

"Are you sure? Do you need us to send you more money? It's been 3 months and you've only just got a job. Did your savings all finish? You know what? Honey? We need to put some money in his account. Remember to go do that tomorrow, okay?"

"Mom, it's really not necessary."

"Okay honey." I hear my dad say in the background.

Sighing, I resigned trying to convince them otherwise. After all, I'm the youngest and in their eyes, the only child of theirs that needed the most help. I wasn't as successful as the others, wasn't as brilliant nor was I good looking and confident.

"Did you hear about the deadly gang violence on the news? Those thugs are at it again." My mom suddenly stated and I perk up at the mention of my area. "Honestly, I don't know why the mayor just don't step up and do something. Those riffraffs are making a mess of the city."

"Mom they live all the way on the south side. They mind their own business and-"

"Mind their own business? Killing and raping and god knows what else, is what you consider to be minding their own business?"

"I meant that they don't affect us."

"Don't affect us? Hmph." She snickers before going into a long lecture about the 'ruffians' living in the south side and I listened quietly before I aroused suspicions about the fact that I resided there.

The conversation went on for as long as I expected and when the headache I only got whilst talking to my mom started to rear it's ugly head, my dad stepped in and within minutes I was hanging up.

Shutting my phone off and abandoning my show that my mother somehow managed to spoil, I got under the covers and placed my hands under my head as I attempted to sleep.

Why is it that our minds take us down memory lane at times when we truly don't want it to?

Well, my mind took me down the path of a brown eyed, olive skinned, giant of a man that I hadn't seen since the run in at the hospital. That was saying a lot since crime rate was at an all time high here.

I didn't know if it was pure luck or that I didn't look the part of a man that needed to be harassed since I managed to make it this long unscathed.

Groaning, I let one arm rest on my eyes as the other hugged my pillow atop my stomach. It was weird that I missed him. Even stranger that I wanted to see him again regardless of knowing about his gang affiliation. Pressing my palms to my eyes, I futilely tried to convince myself that he was bad news and to keep as far away from him as humanly possible.

Morning comes and I lazily got out of bed and got ready for the day ahead. I had a proper breakfast of bacon, toast and eggs washed down with a cup of tea and I felt like that would have been enough to last me all day. Throwing an apple and a few cheese and bacon sandwiches into my bag, I locked up and headed out.

I did my daily routine of brisk walking, head down and staying with crowds of people until I got to the safety of the hospital gates. The morning was quiet but by midday my legs were once more screaming for me to take a break or it'll take it for me.

I rolled my 5th body towards the morgue before deciding that chilling with Mary the mortician was a swell way to have my lunch break.

"Good day, Zach." Mary says in her thick Chinese accent.

"Hello Mary."

"They just keep coming today, huh?"

"Seems that way."

She pulls the sheet off his face before nodding and returning the sheet to its previous position.

"Will you be having lunch here?" She asks, taking note of my foil wrapped meal in a ziplock bag and canned juice I had sitting between the dead man's legs.

"If it's all right with you."

"Of course it is." She nods as we both head out one door and into her office which smelt much better and had no organs or corpses laying around. "The staff avoids here so you're good until your break is over."

I smile as we both washed and sanitised our hands before digging into our respective meals.

With the complete silence, my mind began to once again roam and of course no one else filled my mind but him. It was weird how I randomly saw this strange man for a few days and he disappeared just as fast.

Was Nick truly apart of the Mexican gang or did he get caught up in an unavoidable mess?

I regretted not getting his number but truth be told, I wasn't capable of asking for anyone's number. I could always stop by on my way home but approaching gag members were never on my to do list. Even if I had the guts to approach them, which member in their right mind would ever tell me anything about him?

I closed my eyes in a mad attempt to clear my head of someone that shouldn't take up any part of my thoughts.

It was time to forget about him and move on.