Story takes place in the 1920s
This is the story Zorell Dupree, a young twenty year old nurse who moves to the city working for a prestigious hospital. She is a small time girl thrown into the fast-paced world of the city.
Her childhood friend Lel...
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Chapter Nine: On The Job
She walked inside the apartment and made her way over to the phonograph. She was in the mood to hear some music, and she wondered what kind of recordings Leland had in his collection. She had a hankering for something gay and happy. Perhaps, it would take her mind off Gavin. She shuffled through a few records until she found one that looked interesting. It was one she hadn't heard before. A song called, You're the Cream in my Coffee. She pulled it out and put it on the turner. She turned on the spinner and placed the needle in the right spot and waited for the song to begin.
The tune had an upbeat rhythm that made her forget her troubles, and she danced around the room without a care in the world. Dancing was something else her father did not approve of. He stated that there was too much physical contact, and even if it was a solo dance, he claimed that the whole ritual was only to entice young men into sin. If that were true, then so be it. Her dancing only made her think of Gavin, and she wondered what it would be like to dance with him. She stopped dancing just as the music ended.
This wasn't taking her mind off of him, and she wondered what would have happened if she had invited him in. With Leland returning soon, nothing too intense would have transpired, but what if he had walked in on them. Leland saw her as a sister and there might have been a confrontation, if they were to be caught in a compromising situation.
She already saw the jealousy in Gavin's eyes when another man paid her any attention. The nice old fellow at the café was just trying to be friendly, and she thought that it was cute that he was envious. With Leland it was different. He was quite a bit younger and very handsome. There had never been anything between her and Leland besides friendship, and there never would be she was sure, despite her father's scheming. Still, he would have posed a threat to any young man when it came to a sweetheart, or he would have been if he wasn't so in love already.
She was about to choose another record when she heard the door swing open. She turned her head to see it was Leland, and he didn't look too well. He had a paper bag in his hand and placed it on the table near the sofa.
"Are you okay?" Zorell asked as she put the records down and came towards him. There was concern on her face, and she felt guilty for going out and having a good time when he was in so much pain.
"I'm alright," he said, but she could tell that his words did not convey the truth. "It's not me I'm worried about. It's Shanee." He sat down on the sofa and leaned over combing his hands through his hair. "All she does is just lie there. She doesn't move. It's like she's sleeping but not sleeping. I try talking to her but nothing. I had this ridiculous idea that once I was there and told her how much I love her then she would just magically wake up. That's me being pretty dumb, huh?"
"No, that's you being in a love," she said and sat down next to him. "Her accident was bad, logically it should have been fatal, but she's alive. That's a miracle in itself."
