Ana
Have you ever thought your social life has flatlined? Did you wonder if there’s a way to start it back up? Then suddenly, something out of the ordinary happens that completely shocks you?
It’s early in the morning and I’m already running late. I fly through the doors of Align Chiropractic, that's when my eyes land on him, and I freeze. I’ve never seen him here before. He’s busy scanning his phone, giving me an easy opportunity to stare. He looks to be about six feet tall, lean but built, with dark hair, and military grooming. I feel a strange prickly sensation of awareness as I sign in.
As I sit down it feels like he’s emitting a slow-burning energy. I watch him toggle between two phones as I search for something to say.
“You know, they’ve performed extensive research into the possible health effects of exposure to the frequency spectrum of mobile phones. To date there’s no known adverse health effect.” After blurting that out, I slink down into my chair, and close my eyes.Oh, Ana….
Finally, I open my eyes. He’s still sitting across from me, focused on his electronic devices, seemingly unaware of my comment.
This guy’s my idea of handsome. Trim build, sculpted features, like Michelangelo’sDavid come to life.
“Brody,” Judy, the receptionist, calls out.
He gets up and grabs the clipboard from her.
“Room three.”
He takes no notice of me as I watch him exit the room. But as I look away, I realize Judy is watching me.
She smirks.
I smile back and shrug.
“Nice line,” she says.
Not wanting to go there, I smile and shrug again.
Brody
The lights in my chiropractor’s office flicker on as I park. I love it when my day runs like clockwork. That’s why I always schedule the first appointment. Generally, I’m alone in the waiting room. As I wait for the doctor to get ready a woman enters, signs in, and sits. I can feel her eyes on me. She makes an offhanded comment that I really didn’t catch. Then she smiles. Nice smile, yeah, she’s pretty.
“Brody,” the receptionist calls out.
Ana
...Same Time Next Week
I made sure to book an appointment for the same time the following week. The first thing I notice when I enter the office is Brody. He’s busy typing away. My face feels hot. My chest constricts. I sign in, then sit across from him.
“I bet your back and shoulders are all screwed up from spending so many hours staring at your phone. You know, the‘Smartphone hunch.’ I’m messed up from spending five hours a day trying not to move, while I sit on a tiny ledge.”
He squints at me.
I press my lower back with my hand to illustrate my point. “People who work in an office have ergonomic chairs.”
He nods, then goes back to his phone.
Brody
… Same Time Next Week
“It takes a long time to recover from whiplash. When you bend your head over your phone, the way you do, it doesn’t help the situation,” Dr. Mosca comments while adjusting my back.
“My hip is not my neck.”
“Everything’s connected. Your body has gone through a lot of trauma.” She adjusts my mid-back. “Working out is one of the best things you can do. Most problems can be fixed by taking care of yourself.”
While I lie on the table staring down at the carpet, I think of the woman from the waiting room. I like her smile. It lights up her face and warms the air.Don’t go there, Brody. I don’t have time for a woman. Not even a hookup.
“Turn over, please, Brody.” Dr. Mosca digs her fingers into my neck before she firmly twists it.
My neck pops and cracks in instant relief.
“I’ll see you Thursday. You know, if you stopped looking down at your phone you might not have to visit me so often.”
“If I stopped looking down at my phone, I’d be unemployed and unable to afford you.”
“All you tech workers keep me busy,” she says as she exits.
On my way out, I look at the sign-in sheet. The name Ana Kadivar is clearly written right below my name. As I walk to my car, I Google her. Her picture comes up—nice.
Wait, you’re too busy, don’t go there.
Ana
…One Month Later
When I park and start toward the office, Brody pulls up and hops out of a shiny black car. A surge of energy runs through me, but he’s already pulled out his phone and is scrolling through it as our paths intersect.
I look down and notice some leaves on the ground. “There must be a Liquidambar tree nearby.” I pick up a leaf and hold it between my fingers. “They’re indigenous to the Eastern U.S., but not California. It would be much better if people planted California natives, like California Sycamore or a Coast Live Oak.”
He holds the door open as I walk inside.
“I’ll take that into consideration next time I’m in the market for a tree.”
Like a complete ninny, I flash him a big smile, because I don’t know what to say. The moment passes. His eyes move back to his phone.
“Brody, room three,” Judy says.
As he walks to the exam room, Judy leans over her desk and gives me a “thumbs-up.”
“Was that positive?” I ask.
“He responded, so, yeah.”
If my goal is to have hot-body-Brody say something to me, then this is a good start. Maybe, if he responds again, I can ask him something. But, what could that possibly be?
Ana
…Same Time Next Week
“This is unusual.” I brightly exclaim when I arrive at Dr. Mosca’s door and find Brody standing there, waiting. "I wonder why Judy’s late."
He looks up from his phone, and raises one eyebrow before looking back down.
I stand there for an uncomfortable minute. “I think someone poisoned one of my lions,” I blurt out. “Now, I need to find out what she ate—hopefully, some of the carcass is still remaining.”
He looks up. “Really?”
“Right, it’s hard to believe someone would intentionally try to hurt a lion. They’re beautiful creatures. Whatever the case, it’s a sad situation. Either someone left out poisoned bait or there was a toxic spill in the mountains. I’m waiting for her tox screen to come back. I won’t know what killed her until then.”
“You have a lion?”
“She’s not my pet. She’s a wild animal.”
Judy runs up to the door with her key out. "Sorry!”
We follow her inside.
“Mountain lions are here for all of us to protect it’s the law of unintended consequences if you lose an animal in the food chain, it causes a chain reaction.”
“What are you going to do?” Brody asks.
“She was wearing a radio collar. I’ll need to map out all the points where she’s been. Then I’ll hike her trail to see if I can either find the animal she partially consumed or locate a toxic spill. That means I need to sample all the scat I can find and collect any dead animals, if I find any.”
“What will you do if you find the source?”
“If it’s a toxic spill, then we test it and try to trace it. Illegal dumping’s a crime. We also need to clean it up. It makes me angry when people are cheap, or lazy, and they hurt the environment. Everyone suffers and so many animals die. And so much money is wasted on cleaning up the mess.”
Brody nods. He maintains eye contact, like he’s taking me in. His gaze is piercing.
“Brody, room three.”
Brody takes the clipboard and heads to room three.
When the door closes, Judy leans over the counter. “Now that was more than a random conversation. I think you actually engaged him this time.”
Brody
…Same Time, Next Week
As I’m signing in, I see Ana enter out of the corner of my eye. I turn and hand her the pen. “Did you find what poisoned your lion?”
“Not yet, I’m doing quadrant searches now.”
“You broke your territory into quadrants?”
“Yes, that’s how you know you covered all your area.”
“Very good.”
“You have experience with field surveys?”
“Yeah, I did some reconnaissance work in the Middle East.”
“The Army?”
I nod. “Do you need help?” I volunteer the question before I weigh the consequences.
“Help?”
“On the mountain.”
“The mountain?”
“I have to work. But, if I can arrange some free time, can I join you?”
“On the mountain?”
“That’s where the lion was.”
“Yeah.”
“Brody, room three,” Judy interrupts us.
I grab the clipboard. “What’s your number?” I ask before heading back into the exam room.
“My number?”
“Your phone number. You have a phone?”
“Oh, yeah….” she says, and recites off her number.
As I type her number in, I feel…happy. It’s been a while since I’ve been out in the field. Anyways, it’s not like I’m going to date her.