The Reunion(31)
She groans. “I forgot about that.”
“I didn’t.” I wiggle my eyebrows, and she chuckles. I jut my chin out in her direction. “It’s yours to poke if you want to.”
“I would rather fall off the picnic table again than follow through on that drunken request.”
I gasp in feigned shock. “Why, Palmer Chance, is my chin dimple not appealing to you anymore? Does this mean you’re going to revoke my GQ card?”
She tries to uncap her water but struggles, so I reach out and do it for her. “Thank you,” she says quietly before she adds, “You just love addressing the elephant in the room, don’t you?”
“Might as well, right?” I nudge her foot under the table. “It’s not that big of a deal, you know.”
“Easy to say when you’re not the one embarrassing yourself.”
“Isn’t that what being a human is all about, though?” I ask. “Moments of embarrassment mixed in with joy and sorrow? We have emotions for a reason, and what’s life without experiencing them all, even if it means hitting on your doctor?”
I lift her sandwich, and she takes another bite.
“Plus, you’re never going to have any good stories to tell in your old age if you go through life like a stone wall, feeling nothing. Some of my best stories were born from embarrassing moments, and those stories brighten people’s days.”
She swallows. “Okay, so brighten my day with one.”
“I thought me personally feeding you was brightening your day already, but I see you’re demanding.” She smiles, and I love that I can turn her day around. I love that we can have this interaction without the past drowning us. “Something to brighten your day? Hmm . . .” Just the thing comes to mind. “Well, as you know, I went to medical school.”
“What?” She gasps. “No, I had no idea.”
“Sarcasm—you’re speaking my love language.” I offer her another bite, and she takes it. “But yes, I went to medical school, and because I’m so amazing, I was in an accelerated program. But because the workload was not only ambitious but exhausting, I found myself worn down most of the time. I survived on a healthy diet of Red Bull and Snickers.”
“Seriously?”
I nod. “Oh yeah, gained a solid twenty-five pounds while going through school. You wouldn’t have recognized me.”
“Kind of like I didn’t recognize you now?”
“Worse. But that’s beside the point. I was going through my clinicals after a long night of studying, and I’d had barely any nutrients, because—”
“Snickers and Red Bull.”
I point at her. “Precisely. And before I know it, I have to administer a steroid shot to a lady who has fifth disease.”
“What’s that?”
“A children’s disease. Kids just get a rash on their cheeks and arms, sometimes body, but adults have much worse side effects. This lady, for instance, just looked like she got off the surface of the sun. Her body was bright red, and she could barely use her hands. Well, I had to give her a steroid shot in the glute . . . which happened to be the first time I ever stuck someone in the butt.”
Her lips turn up. “Please tell me you fainted.”
“Oh, I fainted, and I fainted hard. I was so scared about breaking the skin that I got myself worked up to the point that the room started to spin, and instead of asking for assistance, I powered through. I wound up sticking her, but before I could actually administer the drug, I face-planted right into her crack and bounced off and onto the floor.”
Palmer lets out a roar of laughter as she clutches her chest. “No, you did not face-plant into her butt.”
“Afraid so. We went cheek to cheek, if you know what I mean.”
“Stop.” She laughs some more. “Oh my God. Was the needle just hanging out of her?”
“Oh yeah. From what I heard, she had to waddle to the door and call for help. It took over a year to recover my dignity among my peers.”
Her face practically glows with joy as she spears a grape. “You’re right, other people’s embarrassment does brighten one’s day. Thank you.”
“Anytime, Palmer.” I wink, savoring the moment, basking in the fact that I made Palmer Chance smile.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
COOPER
“You’re quiet tonight,” Dad says from his camping chair.
“Not much to say,” I answer, adjusting our telescope.
Once a month, Dad and I drive up to Marina Point with our telescope and spend the evening finding planets and taking pictures of them. The tradition started a few years ago, when Dad heard a couple in the store talk about how they were buying some camping gear for their trip up to Canada, where they were spending four nights looking at all the planets with a group of friends. Dad called me up that night and told me he needed me at the house ASAP.
I rushed over, nervous there was something wrong, only to find Dad hovering over the computer asking me what kind of telescope I thought would give us the best view of Saturn. After deciphering where the hell this new endeavor had come from, I sort of took up the new hobby with Dad.
Now Mom packs us a dinner and sends us on our way.
“When someone doesn’t have much to say, that usually means they have a lot to say. Does it have to do with those classes you’ve been taking?”