The History of Us

6 - Avoidance

Past

Avoidance

Despite having to go to the hospital every once a month, Elsie have never despised the strong smell of antiseptic that wafted through the hall, nor the sight of the nurses in their pasty pink uniform and the doctors in their white coats. If anything, it made her feel less alone; that despite her Grandmother's worrisome health, there were countless others who've been through the same thing – if not worst – and healthcare workers dedicating their lives to make sure that everyone received the best treatments. But it was the cold that always bothered her.

Though she knew the monthly checkup was to monitor her Grandmother's health as a form of prevention, she couldn't help but feel concerned every time she accompanied her to the hospital. There was a time when she couldn't do so without having Aunt Carol to go along with them, back when she was younger, but now that she was old enough, Aunt Carol have grown to trust her and rarely comes along to the hospital – she instead went to work as usual at the bakery.

Elsie can faintly remember another time during her early teenage years when she would feel slightly burdened at having to take her Grandmother to the hospital every month on a Saturday – feeling as if she could've spent the day going out with her friends or lounging about – but it was one of those mindsets she had grown to despise and regret bitterly, choosing instead to pretend they never existed.

Now, as she sat in the cafeteria with a mug filled with tea and a half eaten slice of banana bread, she felt grateful to be able to accompany her Grandmother – someone she loved very much. Sitting down in the middle of the rows of white chair and tables, she scribbled drawings inside her worn out notebook. She was creating different sketches of houses, something that had become a habit of hers which no one else knows about.

Each of her creation always had crawling ivies or big French windows, and often times the building stood on a vast field, surrounded by wildflowers or grove of trees. These sketches reflected what she hoped to be her home someday, although she already knew a potential site that sits close to her heart, one that would serve her well if it was ever to be her home.

She was in the middle of hatching the roof of her Victorian style building sketch in order to give it a darker color when someone took a seat on the vacant chair across hers, though she seemed to be too engrossed in her artwork to notice the person's presence, that is until he cleared his throat abruptly.

"Shit," She cussed, looking up. "Liam,"

"Elsie," He greeted flatly.

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same,"

"I asked the question first," She countered.

"Fine," He shrugged, "I was dropping lunch for my Mum and Dad, now you."

Elsie had almost forgotten that both of his parents are doctors in the same hospital. His mum being a cardiologist and his Dad a pediatrician. It was well known throughout school that his parents were highly-skilled doctors, and everyone always assumed that he would follow along his parents' footsteps someday.

"I happen to love the stale, individually wrapped food and mundane tea of the cafeteria," Elsie replied sarcastically. When she saw that Liam was not the slightest bit amused, she continued. "I'm waiting for my Grandmother, she's with the doctors for a routine checkup."

Liam simply nodded in acknowledgement, "You've been avoiding me."

Elsie's heart dropped to her stomach. She had been deliberately avoiding Liam, but she hadn't expected him to notice. The truth is that she was embarrassed of that night on the dock, where she silently cried for hours, despite knowing that Liam was there and fully aware that she was weeping. If she could have it her way, she wanted that memory gone from her mind forever.