Jimmy Corsa was at the Golden Pond, taking pictures of the scenery when his phone rang. He took his phone out of his pocket to see who it was. Who else would it be but his dear friend, Sadie Lou? He answered it and quickly said, "Hey!"
"Hey yourself" said a weak, feminine voice on the other end.
Instantly, Jimmy was worried. "Gee, you sound awful. What's wrong?"
Sadie didn't know where to begin with that one, so she just stated a plain and simple truth. "Well, I'm in the hospital, and the food here is crummy. When I get out of here, I might consider applying for a part-time job here s a chef. My gosh."
"You're in the hospital?! Again?!" Jimmy exclaimed, his voice laced with concern. "What happened this time?"
Sadie has never been in the hospital for drug purposes before, so as one could imagine, she wasn't all that eager to tell him. So she quickly responded, "Do you know how many times I had to repeat that story? Too many. I'll tell you in good time. Right now, I need a friend and some real food. Can you come through, or are you too busy?"
Sadie tried to play it off as if she wasn't desperate, but Jimmy knew her too well. When Sadie doesn't ask for help, it usually means she needs help. When she actually asks for help, it means she's desperate. "Which hospital are you at, and what kind of food are you in the mood for?" He asked as he put away his photography equipment.
Half an hour later, Jimmy is at Sadie's bedside, laughing and talking as if they were in the kitchen of apartment 5C instead of hospital room A326. The duo was in the middle of singing "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" at the top of their lungs when the nurses came in and told Jimmy that visiting hours were over. Jimmy pouted and said in a whiny voice, "Oh, c'mon! Five more minutes? Pwease?" The surrounding company laughed and the nurse said, "Sorry, sir. If it's any consolation, I've also come to let your friend know that she'll be discharged from the hospital later on in the evening."
"Thank ya, ma'am" Jimmy said while tipping his imaginary hat. Sadie laughed and playfully smacked Jimmy's arm. "Oh my gosh, Jimmy, you're such a fool!"
The nurse smiled and said, "You guys are such an adorable couple."
The atmosphere between Sadie Lou and Jimmy went from merry to awkward real quick.
"Oh, uh, we're not a-a couple!" Sadie stammered awkwardly. "Yeah, we're not at that part of the friendship" Jimmy added with a playful wink. Sadie gave him a look of disbelief laced with humor. Just then, his phone rang. "Wow, I sure am popular today" he said as he saw an unfamiliar number on his screen. He ignored it and began to get up to leave the room when the same number called again. He picked up this time and said, "Hello? Jimmy Corsa speaking."
Hello, this is the secretary of Garfield Hodger Elementary. Reuben Scott says that you might be able to pick him up today."
"Okay, yeah, I can get there in twenty minutes. Tell Reuben I said so."
"Okay, you have a great day, Mr. Corsa. Goodbye, now."
Goodbye, ma'am." After he hung up, he told Sadie that he'll go pick up Reuben for her and hurriedly made his way to the car. When he got into his car, he sighed heavily. He was concerned for Sadie Lou and her son, Reuben. Life had dealt Sadie a rough hand, and Jimmy couldn't stand to see Sadie live her life like this. He thought about Reuben. He is such a bright boy. He has so much potential. He could be great. Jimmy could not let those two crash and burn in their own misery: not if he could help it.
