Two Months Later
Greyson
It’s been two long months since I’ve spoken to Sherry. No, I take that back. It’s been two months since we’ve had a real conversation. We’ve cut things down to a simple hello passing, and that’s all I’ve gotten. It’s also been the longest months in history so to speak. The practice is taking over my life with no spare time to do anything other than work, research, deliver babies, and tend to patients. Today’s the first day in a while that I’m able to escape work for lunch. It’s later than normal, but if I don’t get some fresh air, I might explode from it all.
My feet lead me down the block to the pizza joint on the corner. The closer I get my mouth starts to water, as I can smell the cheese and sauce filtering out into the streets. Right when I go to open the door, I spot not one but two familiar faces sitting off to the side of the restaurant. Confused, I enter and head right over to them.
“Dad, Sherry,” I say as I wait for a reason why my father and the girl I still like are sitting here with books over the table and half eaten pizza slices.
“Son, how are you? You remember Sherry, don’t you?”
“Yes, and I’m pretty sure I just addressed her. What are you doing?”
“Enjoying lunch with a friend, care to join us?”
“No thanks, but I’ll call you later,” I say as I turn my glare over to Sherry. Before I leave, I take in the books stacked on the table. NCLEX-RN study guides, NCLEX-RN Examination, notebooks, and more notebooks. It makes me wonder if she’s going for her exam again. She never mentioned it, but it’s not like we had a lot of time to get to questions like this. I also have to wonder why my father is here on this side of town and hasn’t stopped by the office. Something’s going on, and I tend to get to the bottom of it all.
Finding a seat off to the back of the room, I take out my phone and pretend to be busy with whatever I’m doing. When in reality, I can’t keep my eyes off Sherry and my dad. I take in the way she smiles up at him, tucking the hair behind her ear as she laughs at something he just said. With my uneaten pizza in front of me, I can’t find it in myself to take a bite. From here, as if I was an innocent bystander, I question the relationship before me. Is my father the reason she has rules with no dating her doctor and staggered away from her degree? The longer I sit here; the angrier I get. Pushing back in my chair, I stand and march back over toward them.
“Are you sleeping with an ex-patient?” The words fall from my mouth as if I’m asking how the weather is today. I can’t help but be angry. It would make sense if I stopped to think about. The way they spoke to each other that first day we saw her here. The way she fought against me being her doctor. The way her rules are set. Not to mention that day when I brought him up after her waxing gone wrong.
“Excuse me,” Sherry pipes up, looking at me with stunned eyes.
“You heard me, are you sleeping with my father? Who I might remind you is a married man.”
“Son, I think you need to take a moment and calm down.”
“No, Dad, I won’t. So tell me how long has this been going on?”
“Nothing is going on, now do you care to take a seat and hear about what is happening here,” he says, but I can’t hear a word he’s saying. At this point, all I can think about is how my mother will be heartbroken from his affair. Not to mention how his name will be dragged through the mud for sleeping with not only a younger woman but his patient. What will this do to the practice that holds our family name?
“Greyson, sit down right now,” my father says to me in a tone that I’ve not heard since I was a teenager. Instead of storming out like I want to, I drag over a chair and sit, crossing my legs I lean back and wait for someone to explain to me what’s going on.
I hear the exhale of Sherry’s breath; it’s either she’s dragging her feet on this, or it’s really true.
“I’ll take this one, Mr. Davis,” she says as she closes her study guide and turns toward me.
“Greyson, this is not what you think at all. Years ago your father did me a favor, and it seems he’s still doing them for me. I would come to him with questions, and he’d help me when I was stuck and my professors couldn’t help. Your dad has a way with teaching others that our professors don’t. That’s also when he agreed to help me study when I needed it. Since I failed him back in the day, he was the only person that I could think to come to for help now. I’m retaking my exam and needed someone to push me. That’s all that’s going on here,” she says this, and a part of me believes her while the other part says there’s something else they aren’t telling me.
“Son, she’s telling you the truth. I love your mother and could never do something to cause harm to her. I’m only helping her prepare for the exam. Your mother knows where I am and is pretty fond of Sherry herself.”
“Was anyone going to tell me about this?” I ask like I just heard the biggest secret of my life.
“We didn’t see a reason to include you. Sherry asked me to not say anything, and I respected her wishes until now. Which if you two will excuse me, I need to head out. Sherry, you can do this and you’re ready.”
“Thanks, Mr. Davis, I appreciate all your help and confidence.”
“Greyson, I’ll call you this evening to talk more about your little outburst,” he says as he places his hand on my shoulder. I nod up at him and know exactly how this conversation will go.
Watching my father exit, I turn my head back toward Sherry and take in the way she’s fumbling with her pencil. We sit in silence until the waiter comes over with my plate of pizza that I’ve not touched and my drink.
“Here you go, sir,” he says as he drops it in the empty space where my father was sitting.
“Thanks,” I say while moving over to the now empty chair.
“That was kind of rude; you know that, right.”
“How would you take it if the role was reversed, Sherry?”
“I don’t know, but I might have asked instead of accused. You know, be a good person and all.”
“I am a good person; you just wouldn’t know that, now would you?”
“No, I guess not. If you’ll excuse me, I have things to do.”
“I’m sorry, you don’t have to leave.”
“I’ll let it go, but I do need to leave. I have things to do,” she says while she packs up her books. When her hand reaches out for the last one resting on the table, I grab her hand in mine and look up into the face that I’ve been missing.
“Sherry, will you have dinner with me? Give me a second chance to make this right between us?”
“No, I can’t, Greyson. I have to focus on my exam, and that’s all that matters right now.”
“I can understand that, but what about afterward? You know, to celebrate passing your exam. We can have dinner, and you can talk about the test all night long if you want. I won’t even try to kiss you?”
“No, you won’t be kissing me and no to dinner. It was good to see you, but I have to head back to work before June really fires me.”
I let her go, and watch her back until she’s out of eyesight. Yes, I might’ve overreacted today. It was out of pure shock, and my mouth overloaded my ass once again. I might as well hang up my hat when it comes to Sherry and let her walk away for good this time. A few months ago I told Ava that I would find a way to get back to her, but now that ship’s sailed. I do the only thing I know to do, and that’s to text Henley. He’s been asking for us to throw a welcome back party in one of the cabana’s we can rent at my apartment building. Maybe it’s time to truly embrace myself back while trying to forget the short blonde who looks better than she did the first day my eyes landed on her.
Me: Ready for that party at my place? Tell me what night and start sending the invites. Time to show Miami that Greyson is back and ready to party.
Henley: Hell yeah. What about Friday night? You reserve, and I’ll handle the rest.
Me: Perfect, let me know what you need for me to do.
Henley: Just show up, dude. I got this as always.
Confirming with him, I leave my uneaten pizza and head back to my office. My stride slows as I pass Dawson Realty. I can’t help but take a glance through the glass windows hoping for a chance to see her again. I spot her standing next to a gentleman’s desk pointing at something on the screen for him. My feet won’t move. I’m stuck standing here looking like a lunatic at the girl who refuses to let me know her. Before we would see each other almost daily, passing or on a quick elevator ride. Now, we barely see each other. I’d almost believed that she had hired the lobby to alert her to my coming and goings. Pushing off the glass, I focus on moving down the sidewalk back to my office where patients are waiting. It doesn’t take long for me to get cornered when I enter. “Sir, your father is in his, I mean your office waiting for you.”
“Thanks,” I say before heading back. This is going to be an interesting conversation. One that I thought I could get out of having.
“Dad,” I say, announcing my presence.
“Greyson, have a seat,” he says, gesturing to the chair in front of my desk. Seems this afternoon our roles are reversing, and I’m about to be put in my place.
Taking my seat, I look up at my father and notice the fine thinning gray hairs and the new wrinkles that have cast their effects on him since the last time I saw him.
“Look, Dad, I’m sorry for my outburst, but you have to see things through my eyes too.”
“I know, and I need to speak with you about it. Now, listen to me and listen well. I’ve never strayed from your mother over the years, and I’m certainly not going to start now. But what I am confused about is why Sherry refuses to talk to you or allow me to say your name. I thought things were going well between you guys? Also, when the time is right, you can open up to me about the real reason you took my offer finally.”
“You know about that I take it. I thought I could hide it from you, but guess news travels.
Seems I’m good at making mistakes. It’s just not meant to be with Sherry, and I’m moving on. So much so that Henley and I are having a miniature welcome back party at my place on Friday. You and Mom are invited,” I say and then rethink that invitation. I have no idea what Henley will plan, and I might not need my parents hanging around.
“Your mother and I will show our faces and won’t stay long. But is this really the best thing to do? I mean, I thought you’d pull out your game that we’ve witnessed all these years. I’ve never known you to back down from a challenge.”
“I don’t have game, and I need to focus on the practice. Things have been busy here, and I just don’t have time to trapped by a girl.”
“If you weren’t even dating and already feeling trapped, that’s never a good sign. We just want you happy.”
“I am, Dad, so thanks for the concern. Now, if we’re done I need to go see some patients.”
“Of course, and let me know what time to arrive on Friday. Oh, make sure Henley doesn’t get you evicted from your building. That boy is still as wild as he was in high school.”
“Yes, sir, and as soon as I know I’ll call you.” I stand and grab my next file that I placed on the chair next to me.
Right as I go to step out, I stop and turn around to look at my father. He’s still sitting in what use to be his chair, taking in all what I’ve done with the office. I finally hung up my diplomas, a few pictures that I bought in Savannah, and got a set of new bookcases to house my books and what I hope to contain pictures of my family one day. I’m still young and have plenty of time to find the one who’s meant to be mine. Now if I could just get my heart on the same page, life would be better.