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The cafe at the hospital is outdoors, with seating arrangements amidst a variety of trees. There is a central pine tree that we decorate around Christmas. The periphery has juniper, fir and cypress trees planted in the ground. Pruned and cut into geometric shapes. Today the sun shines through the canopy of leaves, creating patterns on the smooth cobblestone ground.
The colorful flowers in rows of pots brighten the mood at any time of the day. Balm for my sore eyes. A gentle spring breeze makes the place cool today. Richard prides himself on creating a central green atrium in the building. It is like an oasis in between the two-floor concrete and the glass structure of our hospital. On most Sundays, I come here to read and relax.
We are lucky to find a table; the place is usually full most of the time. Meeting Jon here makes me a little conscious. Many of my coworkers visit this place. When we walk to take a seat, people nod at Jon as we pass by. His is a face anyone can recognize. He is too famous for us to have any privacy. I fear word would spread around and the stories will start circulating.
At the moment, I don't have an alternative. We could take the coffee in my room, but I do not trust him, or myself. Jon loses no opportunity to get his hands on me. Which is a huge risk, considering how high he is hitting the cuteness scale today.
Any alone time would be dangerous. The t-shirt he's wearing is stretched to the limits, highlighting his physique, leaving me hot and bothered. Maybe he is wearing a size smaller for his built. Who gives a damn when the sight is so pleasant?
There is a motif in the center of the white t-shirt—a circle with a smiling panda, winking as it chews on a bamboo shoot. Ms. Geeky Meeky is drooling.
He orders a black coffee without sugar. I ask for iced tea.
"How did the session go?" I take a sip. There is so much to learn about Jon.
"Better than I expected. I liked the part about the diet. I don't have to give up much." What he does next, leaves me embarrassed. We don't need to add to the audience already eyeballing us.
"Yay, keep those cupcakes coming, babe!" He shouts and does some kind of a dance that I have only seen on an NFL game.
Can it get any more embarrassing? I pray to Mother Earth to save me and to please swallow me whole. My brain snickers at my heart, no one is coming to help. You rushed in and brought this on yourself. This is a monkey you have to carry on your head.
Mother earth is not going to help, so I slide down my chair and hide under the table, pretending to pick something up. To hide further, I cover my face with a hand on both sides of my head. If there was anyone not watching us till now, they will, for sure, have heard his words boom across the cafe or seen his arms making a wave. Is he crazy? Is this how he celebrates his touchdowns?
"Why are you crouching, Tigress?" Jon peeps at me from below the tabletop.
"Trying to find your brain, Jon. It has popped out again." I glare at him.
"Now what did I do to earn that compliment?" He gives me a cute smile that sets my heart aflutter.
Oh god, what have I gotten myself into? He doesn't even realize it. I get up, dust my hands and sit back on the chair, avoiding any glances toward other tables, mortified at the prospect of people watching us.
"Jon, I am worried about Nate."
His face goes through many contortions that I cannot begin to describe. One would think I had laid out the most difficult puzzle for him to solve. When I say nothing, he shrugs his shoulders asking a silent question.
My deliberate pause before completing my statement adds a dramatic effect. "Poor Nate, how does he compete with you for the 'Child of the House' championship?"
"Tigress, are you making fun of me?"
"Do I need to? Aren't you enough for yourself?"
He pouts and hangs his head. "Okay, I will try to act all grown up." He goes silent for the next few minutes.
The uncomfortable silence is punctuated by the soft sounds of sips of our drinks. I need to ease this tension, but maybe after a while. I am enjoying the radiance on his face enhanced by the sun, no words or sounds to disturb us.
"Jon, can I ask you something?"
"Shoot, Doc."
"How did you get into football?"
Jon puts his coffee down. "You will let me off so easy? I thought I was about to become toast."
When I glare at him squinting my eyes, he continues. "I was good at sports, and football helped me use all the energy I had as a kid. For a career, it might have been different if my dad had not died in my first year in college."
"I am sorry to hear that. What happened?"
Jon is silent for a while. His eyes are sad as he speaks about his dad's death. His dad was on a ventilator for a month after a car accident. It completely broke his mom. A major financial crisis hit them after they paid the hospital bills. His dream of finishing engineering and making it to the football trials got shattered. He left college for a while and worked odd jobs. His mother took up a teaching gig. That kept the house warm and Emily in school.
When things stabilized, he rejoined college to finish his education, but from a less extensive course. It allowed him to concentrate on football. It was his only chance to make it into the NFL. His luck turned when he got his chance with the Tornados in the 2012 season. The multi-million-dollar deal helped get his family back on track. He did not turn back after that.
"Life as a player is like a roller coaster. You are the talk of the town as long as you perform well. The money, fame, and sometimes even friends, vanish the moment you slip a little. I've seen some promising players run aground in the game. Never coming back from the simplest of injuries and mine was a disaster."
"It set off alarms in my mind. When some doctors said I would never be able to play, the fears of my dream shattering flooded me. Football is my life for what it has given me. The thought of my career ending still sends shivers down my spine. I don't know what I will do if I won't be able to play."
"You finished engineering. You can find something that suits you." My coffee had finished, I wanted to learn more. He had opened his heart letting me into a vulnerable part of his life.
"I owe it to my mom and my coach. They were after my life to complete my education. A few years ago, the league started a program. They negotiated a deal with universities for players who wanted to continue their education. In the off-season, I took my chance and completed my education."
"That is great, Jon. You are an inspiration for so many kids." I admire this man's grit.
He shrugs it off as something normal. "Okay Sharon, now it is my turn." He rubs his palms with a devious smirk.
"Oops, did I shoot myself in the foot by asking you a question?" I fake a shiver.
Jon moves his chair closer to mine. "I play fair, so unless you answer my questions, I am not answering any more of yours. Don't worry, I will give you an easy one. Why did you become a doctor?"
"Are we playing tit for tat?" I dare him with my eyes.
"I said I play fair. You asked me an easy question, I ask you an easy question." Jon sits back, strumming his fingers on the table waiting for me to answer.
He leaves me no choice. He was honest with me. I can't skirt his question even if it means I am opening myself up to him.
"I am not sure but somewhere down the line, I wanted a career where there was respect, love, and kindness. Things I wanted in my childhood. Things I craved all my life. I hate the cut-throat rat race of the corporate world. Healthcare was my top choice. Teaching was another. My grades in school and college along with hard work made sure I qualified for medicine." I fidget with the top of the glass, lost in my childhood memories.
When I look up, Jon is staring at me with half-closed eyes and emotions which I do not understand. I snap my fingers in front of his face. "Why are you so glazed? Did you expect a sob story?"
"Hm, I was expecting a cheesy story about wanting to heal the world and rid it of its misery. But what you said is cheesier." His trademark grin, which highlights his dimples, entices me again. Why is he so delicious and chewable?
"So, you are telling me I am cheesy."
"No, you are one hell of a hot salsa. I got only a small bite, but it has me hooked. I am craving for second helpings." Jon swipes his tongue across his lips.
If my jaw could drop to the floor, it would. I fight hard not to blush or run from the cafe.
"Throwing innuendos at me will earn you no brownie points, Mr.Hayes."
"Nope, that is a line to seduce you. The sex part will come later."
I am to blame for this, I lead him on. "Shut up, Jon. You are a lunatic."
"Oh honey, I am only this loony-moony when I am with you."
I raise both my hands in front of me and make a circle with my thumbs and index fingers. I move the circle to target Jon's face from a distance.
"What are you up to, Tigress?"
"Nothing, I need to gauge the size of your neck so I can use the right pressure to strangle you."
He chokes on his coffee, spraying his t-shirt and jacket. I lose control and laugh out loud. After Tom, this is the second time I have had a person choke on their drink. At this rate, I will become an expert at getting people to spray their drinks.
"You trying to scare me off Tigress, because like I said, you are stuck with me."
I stare at him for a moment. "Jon, what are you trying to do?"
"That is your second question for the day, so after I answer it, I get to ask another question." He keeps looking at me, seeking my agreement. I raise my eyebrows, "Whatever. Go on."
"I am trying to get to know you better. Though the seduction part is the real reason and the romp between the sheets, which comes later." He winks at me and I smack his hand.
"Snap out of it, Jon. You have high hopes of yourself."
"Okay, let us play your game like sober grown-ups. Why did you return the cheque for the kids in your program?"
Jon's question catches me off guard. What can I say? On that day, I was flustered and upset. It seemed like the most logical thing to do. I wanted nothing related to him. But later, once the anger subsided, I realized my mistake. Yeh, sometimes Ms. Geeky Meeky does stupid things. I regretted that decision. Not because of the money which we needed, but in my heart, I realized it must have hurt him. Time for me to own up to my mistake.
"Jon, I am sorry. It was a bad call on my part. If it helps, you did support us in one way. Your jersey alone earned us enough at the auction."
Jon does not hide the hurt expression. I reach out and place my hand on his. "Please understand, that money is not the only thing those kids need. They need role models. Their circumstances at home and in their communities don't have people they can emulate. We work with them to help them come out of the negativity surrounding their life. Broken homes, domestic and sexual violence, drug abuse, and whatnot. We break that cycle. We show them there is more to this world and give them hope."
He holds my fingers and rubs them with his thumb. Our eyes lock. Why is this happening? I shiver. The attraction is too strong to resist anymore. Reign in your dopamine cannons doc. Your mesolimbic pathway is in overdrive. Excuse me with Ms. Geeky Meeky's verbal vitriol. In plain Jane terms, Jon is triggering these stupid pheromones that are messing up my rational mind.