Chapter 3 There's a reason why they call it an odd feeling.

       “Will ,what are you doing?” Kiya asked walking into my bathroom.

         I growled lowly as I looked at the two boxes of hair dye.

         “Help me Kiya.” I pleaded.

         “It’s 5:30 in the morning, what do you want me to do?”

          “Decide.” I said pushing the boxes in her hands.

“Purple or black? Why did you buy two if you want to use one.”

“Well I’m going to do both, but I don’t know which to do first.”

“Do both.” She said simply.

“No way! Pick.”

“I’m being serious.” She said placing the purple dye on the right side and the other on the other side.

“Or maybe.” I said grabbing the hair dye. “I would dye it black and add purple highlights.”

“Sure. Good idea.”

“I tell you Kiya, you make me smarter.”

“Thanks.”

I start lathering in the black dye and then set the egg timer.

“Why do you dye your hair anyways?”

“I’ve been doing this since 6th grade. During school they don’t let you die your hair in crazy colors and it’s the first day of summer, so…”

“Aww.”

“You should do it.”

“No way.”

“What time does Mrs. Wright’s open ?”

“She opens at 5.”

“I guess we’ll go as soon as my hair dries. Don’t worry about changing clothes.”

“Ya, we’ve ate breakfast there so many times in our night clothes.”

“She’s cool like that.”

“Well I’m going back to bed. Wake me up when you’re ready to go.”

“Sure.”

I walked in my room and started picking out my outfit. It was a Friday, which meant a work day, so I tried to pick out a good looking outfit.

I settled for a dress shirt and a knee length skirt.

I washed out my hair, put 20 dollars in my pocket, and woke up Kiya. We mounted our bikes and when to Mrs. Wright’s.

Kiya followed me faithfully. If I would have taken the road, the trip would have been 20 minutes long, but I made up a back route that would get us there in half the time.

“Good morning Mrs. Wright!” Kiya called out.

“Morning. Hay Casey! Wait on these girls.” The 70 year old women was calling for her grandson.

The 16- year old Casey walked out. “Grandma we’re out of eggs.”

“Out of eggs?” She asked. Mrs. Wright started chewing on her gum like a cow does its cud.

“Ya, remember I told you last night before we closed.” Casey’s soft red hair shinned in the lights. He looked well today for a boy who is sick all the time.

“Didn’t I tell your Daddy to get them?”

“Ya, you did.” He pulled out his notepad. “But Dad’s going to be late.”

“Why?” Mrs. Wright started wiping off her counter.

“Dad had to late shift last night.”

“Oh your daddy does that a lot. Well , get the girl’s order.”

Kiya and I sat down near the two. There was only an older man and his wife here. I guess that’s how it is when you go out to eat at 6: 30 a.m.

“Humm…Biscuits and gray with apples and orange juice. Don’t forget the sausage in my gravy.” Kiya commanded.

Casey laughed lightly “You always order that. I can almost predict it. And what would you like Will?”

“Yogurt.” I said simply.

“That’s light.”

“Well toast too, that’s kinda understood Casey. And coffee.”

“Two creams.” He informed before I could.

“Do we really come so much that you know ahead.”

“I do Kiya, your different thought Will. The only thing I know you won’t eat is meat.”

“That’s right.”

Casey left and came back with our food.

Kiya and I didn’t talk much. I read the paper, she watched TV. When we were done I tipped 5 dollars.

At home I dressed into my work clothes and Dad drove me to my first day of work.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I walked into the clinic. I’ve been in here thousands of time before but being here as an employee made me nervous. It was almost like they were expecting me to be perfect and stand out of their way.

Dad and Mom talked as I clocked in. I looked at the little machine and then at the card in my hand and I wasn’t really sure what to do.

“You push it in and pull it out.” Said an older man.

“Morning Dr. Davis.” I said sheepishly.

“Morning Wilma.”

I did as I was told.

“So Wilma…”

“Can you call me Will?”

“Will?” He asked rising his eyebrow.

“Now Dr. Davis I’ve told you before I’d like to be called Will.”

He lowered his eyebrow. “You know Will is a boy’s name.”

“Ya I know.” Mom was beside me in seconds but she let me finish. “Wilma is an old women’s name and Will is a boy’s name but with some creativity it can be a girl’s name too.”

Then Mom grabbed my elbow. “Dr. Davis do you mine if I brow my daughter.”

“Go ahead Dr. Mouser.”

“Thanks.” Mom growled. When he walked around the corner Mom started on me. “Will don’t do this. He was nice enough to give you a job and be as nice as he is to me. The least you can do is let him call you Wilma.”

I nodded. “Okay Mom.”

I knew the only reason Dr. Davis calls me by my given name is because I remind him of his nephew who had the name William.

He went by Will also. This Will had a passion for music and art but he killed himself when he was about 20 and now Dr. Davis can’t call anyone else by ‘Will’.

Mom let my arm go and I quickly speed off to get to Dr. Davis as she walked into a patient’s room.

“Sorry.’ I mumbled. “I don’t mind Wilma, I really don’t.”

“Good then.”

I walked with my head low. I wasn’t really sure why, but I was doing it.

“During the day we might need you to answer the phone, or get us something or carry something.”

“Like a candy striper?”

“Yes, more or less.”

I had thought my day would have been exciting, but it was extremely boring. The most I did was answer the phones for about 2 hours. A nurse told me how to answer the phone and set up appointments, but I kept messing up.

She would stand over me like a hawk and when ever I would make a mistake she would pull out the white- out to erase my mistakes and sigh. I was transferred to a pencil because I kept up with the mistakes.

At noon Dr. Angel Berryfield’s husband, Spencer, came by with lunch. He bought Mom and I a salad. Mom and I ate in Angel’s office.

Because they are best friends, the lunch seemed like a long stream of laugher and inside jokes.

I asked how her son S.J. (Spencer Junior) was doing in his first year of college and that was about all we talked. It became crowded because Spencer joined us so I left and ate the rest of my lunch in Mom’s office.

At 1 and 2 pm I was asked to help with a rowdy little boy. I was glad to leave my place at the phones and help out.

Sadly my job was hard. A 5 year old boy was getting his blood drawn and before anyone could pull out a needle he started screaming like murder. His mom had to had to hold one leg while the grandfather held down the other so he wouldn’t kick anyone. Two nurses were holding the arm down that they was getting the blood from while another was fighting to get it in.

My job was kinda stupid and it didn’t really help anything, he just screamed more. I crouched onto the floor with a frog and a duck shaped baking glove trying to make animal sounds and take the two ‘have a conversation’. I think it took 30 minutes to do everything.

I left the room with my ears buzzing and then after that I wasn’t so annoyed to go back to the first job I had. Until two I was going suckers to little kids, make more appointments and messing with the people in the waiting room.

At 2: 10 Dad was late ( he always tends to be) and took me home. I watched Dad work on his novel.

I sat in his office, in one of the chairs off from him and watched him work. The typing became like music.

We never talked. I knew bet then to. Once Dad goes into his imaginary world he’s hard to pull him out of it.

I slipped into the living room and played Dad favorite song hoping it would help him in his writing.

He never made note of it at dinner instead we listened to Kiya’s constant cough.

Mom was nervous, I would tell by the way she fiddled with her food.

Dad was scared, I would tell because he didn’t complain about how bad his writings were.

Wade was in different, because it’s no new news that Kiya gets sick a lot.

I was curious, because I wondered how would this turn out.

Dad had told Mom that Kiya had coughed all day.

To anyone else a simple cough might not be much but we knew it was ominous.

“I’ll pull out my extra stethoscope after dinner.” Mom said.

She kept extra medical supplies at home just for Kiya. There was a reason that Kiya’s room is across from Mom and Dad’s. Mom wanted to be right there in case something happens in the night.

I told them about the screaming boy after dinner. Mom told me she heard him and Dad said a simple “Hun-hun.”.

I watched Mom shove the stethoscope down Kiya’s back. Kiya drew in her breath long and slowly.

I waited for what Mom had to say. Finally she said “I’ll take you to the office tomorrow.”

Kiya nodded in response.

“What is it Mom?” I asked after Kiya went to bed. I never moved from dinner or the examination.

“Mucus is coating her lungs. She has a slight fever. It should be no big deal but I want to get meds in her before it’s too late.”

I nodded understandingly.

“I want to go with you tomorrow.” I declared.

“Why? I’m just going to weigh her and examine her.”

“I want to meet Leo.” I said truthfully.

Mom shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

I walked over to the piano and started playing.

“You always find a way to make time for your piano.” Dad commented.

“I always play after dinner.”

He turned it on to a news channel and muted it so he could hear.

“That’s so sad sounding.” Mom said.

“It’s minor. It should sound like that.”

Reviews

[PyroKitty24]

Interesting. It needed proofread again, and sometimes it was hard to follow. I'd like to know where this is going though

[trainwreck]

Bringing her piano in was a very good move. I'll definately read more.