Aa'eeda Monroe decided a long time ago that she would have it all. She's 24 years old, a practicing midwife and works diligently to educate the girls and women in her community. Somehow along the way, she forgot about love. She never expected Broder...
It was nearly 3 p.m. and things weren't too busy here at the office. So I finally had time to catch up on my dictation. There are three mothers set to give birth within the month and I had to make preparation for home visits. I have doulas in the area but I needed to make sure they were caught up with all the other expecting mothers in our district.
I settled into my desk chair with my black voice recorder and manilla folders ready to get caught up. I inwardly groaned when the office phone started to ring in the quiet office. I was getting the feeling that I was going to be bringing work home with me tonight.
"This is Aa'eeda," I answered on the third ring.
"Aa'eeda Monroe?" A male voice responded on the line. I never heard someone pronounce my name correctly on the first try.
"Ye -yes. This is she," I confirmed. He had a deep gritty voice that had me wondering just who the hell he was and why he was using my government name.
"Okay well, I found a pocketbook with your name on it. You have a business card and blank checks in it. Thought you might want to be reunited with your belongings."
Impossible. My bag is here in the office and my pocketbook is...
Oh, God. Did I leave it at the cafe? Frenzied, I went for my bag on the filing cabinet and rummaged through it looking for the black pocketbook containing my entire life.
It wasn't there... of course not, cause he had it!
"Um - -Helloooo... you there?" He called out to me over the line.
"Oh... sorry. Um- - yes hi. I am here."
"Not at all. Glad I picked it up before someone else got a chance to." He went silent and I could hear metal banging, loud drills and sparse voices in the back round.
"I got a few things to take care of and I won't be off till 8 pm. You got an address where I can drop this off to you at?"This was clearly not something he wanted to do and I nearly caught offense and gave him a piece of my mind.
But the man does have my pocketbook, so I can't do that.
I looked up at the clock above the door and asked, "where are you, I have some time... I can come and get it from you." I figured if a patient came in to be seen, they would have to go through the intake process. That would give me enough time to prepare.
"You know Blake Gardens?" He asked me, a hint of impatience colored his voice.
"Yeah, off of North Baldwin Street?" I asked while shimmying the computer mouse to clear out the screen saver. I quickly got on google.
"Yes. We're right in the plaza, you can't miss it. Speciality Automotive."
It wasn't too far, and I was sure I could be there and back within 30 minutes but I had second thoughts. "Actually...," I cleared my throat and said, "I think it's better I meet you somewhere after work. Tully's Cafe okay with you?"
"Yeah, that's fine. I'll be there around 8: 15- 8: 30."
"Thanks, a lot. I'll be wearing pink scrubs." I informed him, just so he'd know who to expect.
"...Right. See you then."
"Okay, see you then." I hung up and immediately dialed my bank to see if there weren't any strange transactions on the account.
There weren't any.
At any rate, I a temporary hold on my accounts in the off chance things change. The last thing I needed was to be alone and broke. I couldn't believe I was so absent-minded as to leave my pocketbook behind. I could kick myself right now.
I've been a certified nurse midwife for a year now and only recently came into across of this practice about six months ago. I'm originally from Georgia but studied in Florida where it's impossible to operate independently. So, I moved to Georgia once the opportunity presented itself. I run the office three to four days out of the week and the other days, I spend most of my time teaching young girls and mothers about women's health.
It's no secret that most of the major issues in women health afflict the black women at a more disproportionate rate than any other race. I'm dedicated to changing that. I love working here. It's rewarding, I help black women, and the pay is good. I own my own home, and my own car and everything is right in its perfect place. . .
Well- - except... I'm 24 years old, with no man and still a virgin. It would be nice to know what all fuss is about.
I want a family too.
I want love too.
*
As the day came to a close, I was able to follow up with my expecting mothers and finish dictation. Mrs. Lewis, my head RN was at my office door right as I was going through my assignments for tomorrow's community in-service on self-breast examinations.
"Aa'eeda child," she called out to me in that stern voice that always seemed to have me on edge. "Don't you spend the whole night in here doing paperwork." Mrs. Lewis was in her late 60's and treated me like her own granddaughter at times. She had long gray hair that she had in one long braid down her back. Her honey eyes colored eyes were striking against her chestnut skin. She is a retired labor and delivery nurse and comes into work every now and again.
I lost my mother some years back so Mrs. Lewis was the closest thing I had to it. She was always encouraging me to go out there and let love find me.
She was right and all, but - - I just didn't have the time.
"I'm leaving here at eight on dot Mrs. Lewis," I informed her just so she'd get off my back. She didn't need to know that I was going home to catch up on whatever was on the Oprah Network.
Well... after I retrieve my pocketbook anyway.
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