Journey

Punctuality

I found myself waiting in the elevator, staring at fancy but plain double doors. Shaking with nervousness I start to pace, even though pacing is a bad habit. I have never met this man, and have pretty much as little communicative skills as could be imagined. Hence why I am becoming a surgeon and not a primary care physician. The song playing is now a decades song, but was popular when I was in middle school. I sure hope I do not start to babble on, I do that when I get really nervous near people.

Suddenly, the elevator doors open. I am quite thankful because it was over air conditioned in there. I could tell why it was so cold when I noticed that only one of the receptionists was under 30. One of the front desk people came towards me. She had a reddish-brown hair, dark brown eyes, light skin with freckles on her nose and dressed in fancy apparel.

"Hello, I am Raelyn. However you can just call me Rae. Correct me if I am wrong, but you are here to see Mister Pollock at half past 9 right?" the woman said in a quick, perky blur.

My smart response was, "Wait... what?... I mean...umm, yes ma'am I am. Sorry I am a tad late, traffic. One compound question, how did you know who I am and with whom I am here to see?

Rae replied, " Please just call me Rae. I knew who you were by the name tag on your jacket, from then I recalled seeing a Cordelia Desiree in the schedule. For the record it is not exactly the world's most forgettable name. You can give Juliana, Julia for short, your jacket if you like. Just a heads up Mister Pollock is in a peculiar mood today, so you only have a good 15 minutes before he is just unbearable. Questions?"

I said, "Okay, fair enough. I am for once questionless, just terrified," when Julia reaches for my jacket I had it to her and say, "Thank you."

Rae starts speed walking while saying, "Right this way."

Me being unfit I start lightly jogging to keep up. I take a sharp turn into this room with an amazing view. It is then that I take note that I am falling face forward into the clean marble floor. I guess I am going to be the person the janitors secretly hate.

On the fall down, I spill my latte that cost five bucks all over Raelyn who opened the door for me. I also send my notepad, pencil and phone flying right into Mister Pollock's face. Well, if he did not have a reason to be crabby before I just gave him one. As for me, I fell face forward, with my mouth semi-open leaving me it a cut lip, and bruised pretty much everything else. There it starts, blood all over my lower face as well as the tiled marble floor. I got myself into standing position and started apologizing left and right. Apologizing also included offering to pay with money I did not have. Oops, stupid move.

Pollock gives Rae some weird code move for leave and close the door behind you, which she complies with. He then moves from his not so safe view of San Diego near the glass wall panes to me, picking up a floral themed tissue box on the way. He hands the tissue box to me and assists me over the pair of seats in front of his desk constructed from wood. He then picked up my mess and sat there staring at me.

As he stared at me I took time to notice him, essentially. He had chestnut brown hair, tanned skin, kind green eyes and a muscular overall look. I hope he does not notice me looking at me. Or I hope he is just zoning out, because let us face the music, I am not the prettiest apple in the bunch. I have got mysterious, long, black curly hair, a mocha skin tone in the summer, but a more soft honey tone in the winter, a little bit of a curvy figure as I am not a total crazy gym freak and short, chestnut eyes, and chubby, rosy cheeks. However, Esme has pin-straight black hair, light skin, a short and skinny figure, and blue eyes. Lexi has fawn colored hair, blue-green eyes, lightly tanned skin with a few face freckles, and a medium-tall skinny appearance. I have now realized I am completely zoned out and snap myself back into reality. So much for 15 minutes for a good 50 questions.

Pollock asks, "So do you have a question to ask, or are we going to stare at each other for the next ten minutes? Either way it sounds like such fun."

I state, "Oh, sorry. I guess it is readable that I am not the right interviewer based on my people skills. My name is Cordelia Desiree, and my friend Esme is sick with goodness knows what. Hence why I am the interviewer."

Pollock questions, "You did not happen to major in journalism, I hope?"

I responded, "No, I did not. Something tells me I am not the best at it, maybe someday. Instead I went to a 4 year college majoring in biology and neurology mainly. And I realize that was T.M.I. Sir, you have just got to cut me off because I babble, ramble and blush really bad. So on with the questions..."

He interrupts, "On your way to becoming what?"

I reply, "Hopefully a neurosurgeon. Anyways, moving on..."

He interrupts again, " What drives you to pursue such a bold, male-dominated, hard topic of medicine; I mean out of all the others like primary care physicians, or even a nurse?"

I answer brutally, "Well, I love a good challenge as much as an adventurous attention grabbing book. I am in love with neurology and all of its aspects, and I want to personally be the one helping people in their most vulnerable and give them their life back. Now, since you a manning the interview do you have any other personal questions to get off topic with, or can we switch roles?"

An impressed look spreads across his face, " Well okay then, your questions Ms. Desiree. Time check- you have 8 minutes left, so get started."

I finally become a little less tense enough to run with the questions. After three long seconds I reply, "So you take an awkward approach to your success and riches. One in which you mercilessly buy a company just to sell it off into smaller pieces. What motivates you to do this besides the money?"

He answers abruptly, " There is not much I care to share for my motivation other than the money. Five minutes left, next!"

It is then that I notice his eyes repeatedly glaring out the window, so I follow his gaze. Low and behold a woman in a very showy outfit walking down the street. At this point I am quite frankly fed up with the treatment, but remember my medical training. A training course going something like, the code of doctors include first do no harm, second treat the patient to the best of your ability and their

knowledge and third patience for the patient can go a long way because most likely they are terrified of the outcome of the treatment and the illness. My professor said if you forget everything else in your training remember those ethics a doctor expresses and you will go farther.

In not only a calmer manner than I ever estimated I could handle, I in a even friendlier, southern accented tone spoke to Pulock, "I understand sir, that you are a very busy person, and it is my sincerest apologies that I cut off your fact finding mission into my life, ask for a moment out of your busy schedule, and then, this is the real cardiac arrest inducer, expect you to answer questions about your success ease curious minds and give advice to others vying for success." this had really caught his attention, "So, without much further hasle I will leave you to drooling over the brunette on the pavement and be out of your hair. I have already taken time to right down my and Esme's email where you can send us the answers to the questions I am going to leave you with. So if in the next two, preferred one day you decide that your not above the world, I beg of you to answer the questions in writing on your own time. You know, when you are not preoccupied. Have a good day, sorry to have intruded on your very important business day. Good luck and I hope to see that email." As I finished stating this I stand and make my way to the door, pausing at the door to say the last to sentences. On Ben Bullock's face was the look of an utterly baffled person. At least he was finally both paying attention and taking me seriously.

I exit the room and leave Pollock to continue to achieve his so called success. I walk through the lobby and request to have my coat returned to me.

Rae asks me, "So, it went that well, huh. I admit I eavesdropped a little. I have only heard his mother tell him off in brutal honesty like that."

I answer, " It went as well as you told me it would. Hey, I just wanted to thank you for everything you have done for me since being here. Sorry about spilling coffee all over you. I totally owe you some coffee to make up for it. If you ever wanted to hangout, me and my other friends usually go to Books and Coffee to detox from, you know life, call me." Then I wait a couple seconds for her reply.

Finally, after a minute she says, "Sure I would love to, we can swap phone numbers right now while I have a minute."

So we swap numbers and say the courteous bye, I honestly think she is never going to call, but I really don't think I am going to mind. I do not want it to change my relationship with Es and Cam. I mean Lexi has lots of other friends, Es has some at work who get that part of her better than us, and I have a couple medical nerd friends that I my go to coffee/late-night study sesh friends. However, we may all hang out, it is always apparent that our trio that shines through the whole thing. The other people we chill with are just some people that pull out one major interest in all of our lives. Will being friends with Raelyn change our dynamic trio? I don't even know anything about her, was this a smart move? Here goes the power of overthinking it.

This is the synapses of the whole elevator ride, to stuck in my personal reverie to notice the music or the temperature on the way down. I leave the building and am flooded with a feeling of relief. I make my way over to my jeep and drive off to the drive through starbucks, then on home. I smile everytime I sip the java chip frappuccino, because I and finally awake and not messing up as much.

While driving I think of the name Raelyn and it is almost ringing a bell, but I could not quite put my finger on it.

Therefore, I arrive home, I do not greet my friends I just keep on walking and pull up my old middle school yearbooks. The name Raelyn sounded to familiar and out of the usual. Eureka! Eureka! I found what I was looking for, Raelyn was a girl that went to middle school with us, but moved to Alaska in 7th grade. On the other hand, I can not remember how I, possibly we knew her.