Maybe I should text back Bill, the guy from the dating app that my best friend from work, Marnie, made me sign up to. He seems nice. I don’t know why I can’t seem to get myself more excited about him. But every time I think about the possibility of going out on a date with him it makes me want to gag. I don’t know why but I don’t want to get all dressed up to have dinner with a man I don’t even know.
Of course, Marnie told me that I can’t possibly know there isn’t any spark until I meet him in person, but if I don’t feel it already then why bother? I don’t really think that online dating is for me anyway, but I don’t know how else I am supposed to meet a person. No one seems to just meet someone organically anymore, it doesn’t happen. The sort of meet cute that might happen in movies isn’t ever in real life and that’s a shame. I really shouldn’t have all of these unrealistic expectations, or I will end up single for the rest of my life.
Urgh, God, what the hell is happening to me today? Why am I even thinking about this? I need to calm down here, I don’t need to message this Bill guy back, I can delete the damn app, and I can just tell Marnie that I don’t want her to help me out.
The right man will come along, I just have to be patient.
I head up to the bathroom and draw myself a hot bath, excited to climb in and de-stress. I can practically already feel the day washing away and dissolving with my bath bubbles. I think I am going to grab a glass of wine and relax.
Maybe even read a book. Then bed. Ahhhh yes, lets do this.
Bang!
What the hell was that? The sound is so loud it assaults my ear drums. That was so loud I’m pretty sure the whole city had to have just heard that. This is a quiet place, and that’s what I love about it. Who the hell is messing with my night of self care? I don’t even want to look outside because the sound makes me so nervous, but something inside of me snaps. I stop the bath water and I tear off towards the window, still in my nurse’s uniform, to see what’s happening.
“Oh my God.” The sight of a motorcycle turned over in the middle of the road makes my heart stop. I don’t know what caused the crash but the driver looks like he is struggling and in pain. I have to help him. I’m the only person in this area with medical training at all, so I don’t have a choice but to intervene. “Shit …”
As if I haven’t had enough of a stressful day, now this, meaning, I’m not going to get a quiet evening either. Still, I have to do something, hypocritic oath and all that
There are already people gathering outside beside the guy on the motorcycle but since I’m a nurse they step aside. I’m relieved, while the man is definitely injured, he isn’t fatally hurt, so I can keep him stable until help arrives. Immediately I ask someone to call an ambulance.
“Are you okay?” I don’t want to remove his helmet just in case. If he does have a neck injury that I can’t see right now, then me trying to yank that off his head could hurt him more. But I can flip up the visor to see if he is conscious. “I’m going to lift this up now, okay? Just so I can check your airways.”
He doesn’t answer me, so he’s definitely not conscious, so with a slightly shaky hand, I lift it up to take a look at the man’s face. I just want to confirm that he doesn’t have anything major facially.
“Oh shit.” I dart backwards, almost falling and nearly knocking someone else over in the process. I must be losing my mind, because I was just thinking about him, this isn’t real…
“He’s dead,” someone howls because of my reaction, taking it the wrong way. “Oh God, he’s dead.”
“Not… not dead,” I manage to stammer back. “He isn’t dead.”
I know him. That’s what the problem is. This isn’t a face that I’m supposed to see again, but I’m here looking at him. I know him.
He might look older now, more rugged, and broader, but I would recognize this man anywhere.
“I know him.” I think that I might have gone into shock. “It’s Ted Landon.”
My head is spinning. This can’t be real. There is no way in hell he is here. He hasn’t been back in years, six years actually. Why is he here, now? Also, why should I let this bother me?