Page 13 of It's Love I'm After

“Believe me, it does, and more than people in the field will admit from being the recipient of someone’s feces.”

“Tell me you’re joking, Germayne.”

“I’m not. I had a level of secondhand embarrassment I’d never experienced before. Most people release their bowels during labor, but this woman shit on my hand while I was stitching her up. I washed my hands ten times, even after washing them three while in the delivery room. The nurses and my supervisor teased me for a month about it. What’s worse is the woman’s grandmother had a blowout in her Depends but had no sense of smell to make her aware of the occurrence.”

“Oh my God.” Chaniya laughs heartily.

It’s fast approaching four in the morning, and Chaniya and I are talking like time is of no consequence to either of us. What’s more interesting is I’m not sleepy or fatigued and perfectly fine with talking to Chaniya for as long as she wants to.

“Yeah, I had to call on Him to keep from flipping out while looking at the handful of shit covering my gloves.”

My heart skips a beat when Chaniya’s laughter increases, and she snorts before my low laughter escapes my mouth. Finding out that she works at Baxter Paws Animal Hospital as a veterinarian assistant was intriguing.

“That is too funny. That reminds me of when I had to assist with a cat’s delivery. Everything would have been cool if the temperamental hussy wouldn’t have used my arm as a finger file for her nails.”

“I feel you. Do you think you’ll ever go to school to become a veterinarian?”

“I’m not sure, to be honest. I love animals, which is why I sought out the job at the hospital. I’m just unsure if my love is enough to keep me in the field for endless years. What about you? You look good, birthing babies. Do you see yourself completing the process?”

“Maybe. I didn’t realize how much I would love what I do. The only downside to the job is having to coach a mother through a stillbirth.”

My chest pinches at the past instance of delivering twin boys who died after their mother was pushed down two flights of steps by her boyfriend. It took Dr. Carpenter and me hours to encourage the woman to keep pushing. When those babies came out silently, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room.

“Not that it’s the same because it isn’t on the same scale, but I can understand your difficulty with it because I have often had to comfort my boss after that occurrence with animals. It’s also one of the occurrences within the field that make me not want to further my education.”

“Understandable, because it’s hard for everyone in the room. Let’s change the subject, though. I don’t want to put a damper on our moods.”

“I’m good with that. Tell me your perfect Saturday activity if work wasn’t blocking the day.”

A low chuckle escapes my mouth because I can imagine how Chaniya will react to what I’m about to provide for an answer. Nevertheless, I push forward, ready to hear her rebuttal.

“Fishing.”

“Ewe. Seriously? Do you like that? I thought that was something only the melanin lacking folks do for fun.”

“I’m not sure if I like the judgment in your tone, Chaniya. Have you ever been fishing before?”

Silence pierces the line, providing my answer without Chaniya’s confirmation, making me interject before she has a chance to speak.

“Mhm. That’s what I thought. How about I take you on your first fishing adventure? Then you can form an opinion based on experience and not bias.”

“I don’t know about that. How much fun can a fishing outing be?”

“Actually, I don’t enjoy it for the entertainment factor that some fishermen receive. I?—”

“Really? Why do you go then?”

Another chuckle escapes my mouth, surprising me because it’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed a light banter between me and a woman. Chaniya is providing me with more than her outer appearance to be attracted to, and that’s the bonus I anticipated experiencing upon our initial engagement.

“Honestly, it’s about the peace I get when I’m sitting on the river bank. Me and my grandfather used to go when I was a kid. Yet, I only realized after going once he died how much I love it. I can sit out there for hours and only catch five fish, but it never bothers me. I can also get caught up in watching the fishing ripples moving, bringing me necessary calm.”

As a kid, I didn’t understand why Grandpa Melvin insisted on teaching me how to fish. The beauty in the hobby happened the first time I went after his passing when I didn’t catch a single fish. Hell, had it not been for the fish stealing my minnows, I would have thought the lake was empty.

“Hm. Maybe I’ll let you take me so I can see what you’re talking about.” Chaniya cuts into my wayward thoughts, returning me to the conversation.

“You came for my favorite pastime, so you can bank on me dragging you out to the water. In fact, it’ll be how we spend our first date.”

“First date seems a little presumptuous, don’t you think?”

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