Angel In Darkness

Getting to Know Her

When Celeste pulled my card from a slot in her bag, I inwardly beat my chest.  I was glad she hadn't completely tossed me by the wayside.  We arrived at Sakura's shortly after and I got out and opened her car door for her before leading her into the establishment.  We were seated in a corner and the waiter quickly took our drink orders.  She ordered a sprite and I ordered a coke.  "So,"  I said after a beat of silence.  "Tell me about your family."  A hint of sadness passed her features before she quickly tried to mask it with a sip of her soda.  Too bad I was a doctor and was trained to see those things before a patient realized it.  I had to keep reminding myself though that she wasn't a patient.  I didn't date patients.  Yet I hadn't told Jennifer to toss her file because I really wanted to read what she had put in her paperwork.  

She peaked my interest in a major way, but I couldn't help wondering what brought her into my office today.  I couldn't wait to get to the office tomorrow and really read her file.  Hopefully she would allow me into that part of her life on her own, but in the event she was hesitant, at least with the information in her file, I could try and coaxed the information out of her.  I knew the thought wasn't right, but I had to know what I was up against.  I really like Celeste and I wanted to know her inside out; mind body and soul.  

"I have two siblings," she started.  "A brother Akin and a sister Alina.  They are twins.  We grew up in Millville.  We had a fairly mundane existence.  We lived the normal, barely making it life and I just did everything I could in high school, secured an academic scholarship and went to college."  I noted that she didn't say anything about her parents.  The doctor in me wanted to know why that was, so that brought on my next line of questioning.  

"And your parents?"

"Akin Sr. and Jesse Sumter.  Father worked in factories, mom a supervisor in nursing homes."  She quickly brought the soda back up to her lips.  Okay so her relationship with her parents was strained.  I wondered why.  Just then, they returned with our food and it put a hold on any further questions I had.  She silently prayed over her food and I smiled.  A religious girl.  My mom will love that.  She started eating and I noticed she had this faraway look in her eyes.  She was looking in my direction but it was almost like she was looking through me.  Talking about her family is a trigger to something.  I waved a hand in front of her face and she snapped out of whatever trance she was in.  

"Where'd you just go?"  I asked placing a gentle hand on her free hand, which I noticed was her right.  A left hander, interesting.  

"I doubt you want to really know."  I rubbed my hand back and forth across her hand encouraging her with my gesture.  

"I want to know Celeste.  I want to know everything about you."  She placed her fork in her plate and grabbed her hand away before taking her napkin with both hands and wiping her mouth.  

"You think you want to know everything, but if you knew my whole truth, you might run for the door."  She tried to laugh but it wasn't fooling me.  She used the laughter to hide the pain that she felt.  

"Are you afraid that there is something in your past that can scare me away sweetheart?  I'm a big man."  I noticed the way her eyes darkened when I said big man and she tightened her legs together.  Now that was totally interesting.  That little action gave me a raging hard on.  "I've seen patients with so many unimaginable conditions and things.  There is nothing you can tell me that is that bad that it would scare me away."  She shrugged and then continued eating.  I decided to allow her a chance to sit on that information.  I wouldn't pressure her, but I was anxious to get my hands on her file more than anything now.  

"What about your family?"  She suddenly asked.  

"Well there my father Alonzo Henry II and my mother Dana.  I have a younger sister Diana who is married to my brother in-law Marcos and I have a beautiful niece Marciana. I grew up in a military household.  We were stationed here in New Jersey a few times over the span of the thirty years my dad was in the military so he decided to settle here upon retirement.  I've been to Korea, Japan, Kansas, North Carolina, and Texas."