Chapter 7
682 Words
7
Weeks went by, and John’s back pain continued. The pain management doctor increased John’s dosage. He told John not to worry. John trusted the pain management professional, who had a solid reputation and excellent reviews from his patients. Yet someone who appeared to be a decent doctor turned out to be a greedy criminal that caused irreputable damage to hundreds of people, if not more.
John didn’t believe that he had a problem, even though he was taking five pills a day. He thought that he needed the pills to do his job. They enabled him to live his life and took the edge off.
John started to date a twenty-eight-year-old Cuban nurse named Myra. She had thick black hair and a beautiful smile. She worked on the pediatrics unit and they met through a mutual friend.
John picked up the phone and called his new girlfriend. “Hey, gorgeous. How’s my favorite nurse?”
“Why, hello, my handsome cardiologist. When am I going to see you next?”
“How about tonight? It’s Friday night, I’m off work. Can I pick you up around eight?”
“I miss you. Can’t wait to see you tonight,” said Myra.
“Want to take a stroll on South Beach?”
“Sound lovely. I’ll see you later.”
John picked Myra up at her apartment in Coconut Grove, where she lived with her sister.
“I’m here, love,” John texted Myra.
She walked down the steps of her apartment and got into his car.
“You look amazing,” said John as he reached in for a kiss.
“Hello, Doctor. You miss me?”
“Of course.”
John drove to South Beach. They parked at a garage near Lincoln Road and started strolling down the Miami streets on this hot and humid night.
“What do you feel like eating?” asked John.
“It’s up to you, my dear.”
“What do you think about sushi?”
“That sounds amazing. I love a good sushi roll.”
Myra put her hand on John’s back as they walked down Lincoln Road. He started to feel more relaxed. Myra had a calming aura about her. This was only John’s seventh date with Myra, but he felt like he had known her for decades.
John and Myra continued walked down Lincoln Road.
“Do you want to try our pasta? It’s the best in the entire city,” said one promoter as John and Myra walked past a new Italian restaurant.
“Maybe next time,” replied John. They walked to their sushi restaurant and sat at a table for two.
“I love people watching,” said John as they held hands. A few droplets of sweat started to gather on John’s forehead. “Miami is such an interesting place. I thought I’d seen it all, coming from New York, but this city is nuts. Do you ever feel like you live in a fantasy world?”
“All the time.”
A group of college students walked by, screaming and shouting. “It’s party time!” yelled one young man. “Cameo Club, here we come.”
Myra looked at John, and they both laughed. “You see,” she said.
“This place is so exotic,” said John. “I know that South Beach isn’t the real world, but sometimes I feel like I’m the only person who works in this city. I know there are tons of people who work very hard just to survive, but you go to South Beach on a Monday, and it’s packed with tourists and people soaking up the sun. Sometimes I feel like I live in a bubble in the hospital, while the rest of the world enjoys life.”
John and Myra enjoyed dinner and talked for hours. John went to the bathroom to pop a few pills as his back started to spasm. They later drove back to John’s apartment in Brickell.
Myra and John kissed in the elevator.
“I’m so hot. Why don’t we do something fun?”
“Like what? I’m all ears,” responded Myra.
“Late night swim?”
“Oh. I like it.”
They went up to John’s apartment. “I have a bathing suit of yours from when we went to the beach last weekend. Does that work?”
“Yeah. Let me change quickly. Wait, isn’t the pool closed?”
“It is, but we’ll be naughty. Don’t tell anyone.”
The two changed and took a dip in the roof top pool. They sipped wine while getting to know each other better in the jacuzzi.
- Writer
