Page 4 of A Player's Prayer
After letting me know she would talk to her boss about taking some days off, she accepted the prescription for muscle relaxers. She promised to see her primary doctor if any more pain progressed, and I was okay with that. Once she was gone, I finished up my notes to add to her file before leaving the room. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t hear Dr. Morrison until he cleared his throat.
“I knew you were going to be a good fit here when you were first introduced as a new member.” I glanced over my shoulder as he placed his hands in his slacks, walking further into the room. The man was a walking wet dream, even in black scrubs. “How are you liking the place?”
“Ehh.” We shared a laugh as I shrugged and continued, “I love my job, and I love helping people. That’s all that matters to me. Everything else can be ignored.”
Tanessa and her flunkies are the least of my worries when it comes to me doing my job. Asia, the only other registered nurse I got along with here, gave me a small rundown when I first arrived. I didn’t feed into it too much because I could form my own opinions of people, but she was right. My first meeting with Tanessa let me know she was insecure with herself, but that was a personal problem and didn’t have anything to do with me.
“Well, if you have any trouble or need anything, don’t hesitate to let me know.” He walked over closer and stood behind me. I didn’t like the way the scene appeared, so I stood. “Also, I know you’re new in the city, so if you need a tour guide, let me know.”
Peering up at him, he was a very handsome man. He kept his head shaved and his beard neatly trimmed. All the ladies wentwild over his dark chocolate skin and beautiful hazel eyes, but he didn’t do it for me. It wasn’t even because we worked together, but more so his attitude. This man knew he was fine, and I hated the arrogance that exuded from him because instead of it coming across as confident, it came across as presumptuous.
Before I could decline his offer, Tanessa came barging into the room. Breathing heavily, her frown deepened as she looked from me to the doctor.
“If you’re done parlaying, there are other patients who need assistance.” She rolled her eyes before peering over at Dr. Morrison. “If you needed help with something, I would have beenmore thanhappy to assist you.”
“So you’re free right now?” he asked as he put space between us. “You’re not too busy?”
“Not at all.” She batted her eyes at him dreamily. “I’m at your disposal.”
“Great! You can give Nurse Jenkins here a hand with those patients you spoke of.” He smiled brightly, causing hers to drop. “If it’s a problem, let me know, and I will call your manager to see what we can do to rectify it.”
Giving him a nod and tight-lipped smile, she left as soon as she came. Giggling to myself, I knew he had caused more harm than good. Hopefully, Tanessa would leave well enough alone and keep it moving. On the outside, I may look like a sweet and innocent nurse, and I’d hate to show her how looks can be deceiving.
“Friend! I still can’t believe you moved all the way to Milly Grove. You left me out here for dead, hoe.”
Listening to Zaria whine, I walked the strip of the small shopping center. It was a rare day off from work for me, and I needed a day of self-care. I’d been living in the city for a few months, but I was still trying to figure out the best places to shop. Approaching a shoe store, I chose to go inside. I was always down for a new pair of sneakers and had heard great things about this store at work.
“Zaria, I told you to come out here and visit me whenever you wanted to. You act as if I’m on the other side of the world or something.” I looked around the store and found the women’s section immediately. “I’m only four hours from you.”
“Whatever, hoe.” I giggled, knowing she was rolling her eyes. “I’m coming out there the next time I’m off work and staying for a couple of days. You know Sed will have a fit if I leave him for too long.”
Pursing my lips together, I browsed the wall of shoes. I was mentally going through my wardrobe to see what I could buy and actually wear. I hadn’t been out much in Milly Grove due to working nonstop, but I kept telling myself that would change soon. Zaria continued to yap about Sed not caring that I had yet to say a word. She knows I hate her nigga, though, so there was never much for me to say anyway.
“Oh yeah, Bear asked about you the other day. Imagine my surprise when he said he didn’t know you moved. How are you in a whole relationship and don’t tell your man you left town?”
Pulling down a pair of Adidas from the wall, I zoned out of the conversation entirely and continued to browse the wall. Zaria would be talking to herself if she thought I was going to entertain a conversation about my ex. If Bear didn’t know that I had left town, it was more his fault than mine.
Bradley, or Bear, and I had been high school sweethearts. There was never a time when I thought he and I wouldn’t last forever. I should have known what we had was puppy love andwouldn’t stand a chance in the real world. Once I went to Albany State for college, leaving him back home in Florida, he changed. Our relationship couldn’t withstand the distance, so I told him I wanted to break up and focus on school. It seemed as if it was the right thing to do, because shortly after, girls came out of the woodwork claiming he was their man. He denied it and told me they meant nothing; that he was just passing the time until I came back home. After graduating from college, I returned home and found a job, and sadly, I gave in to Bear when he wanted another chance. His cheating ways didn’t stop; in fact, they got worse. Seeing it firsthand was different than hearing about it while at school. I was never one to come second to anyone, so I left his ass, literally and figuratively. It’s not on me if he didn’t get the memo when he saw all my shit was gone.
“Dakota, did you hear me?” I jumped at hearing her scream my name through my AirPods. “Girl, let me find out you’re ignoring me.”
“I am…” I sighed heavily, looking around the store for an associate. Seeing one bending behind the counter, I made my way over. “You’re not talking about shit, so I kind of zoned out. You know I don’t want to hear anything about Bear.”
“Don’t let that lil’ job and a lil’ bit of money have you talking down on my brother.” I paused and frowned at the discourse in her voice. “Don’t get out there and start acting like you forgot where you came from.”
“Girl, who the fuck are you talking to?” I looked around as if there was someone else and as if she could see me doing so through the phone. “You know me better than toeversay something like that. On top of that, fuck that nigga. He can be your brother, but he’s not my problem, and I’d appreciate it if you remember that the next time you try to check me about him. Where was your loyalty to me when that nigga was back home fuckin’ all the girls on the block while I was at school? You choseto stay out of it, right?”Silence.“Exactly. Keep that energy and stay out of it now. I’ll call you later.”
Placing the shoe on the counter, I closed my eyes, squeezing the bridge of my nose. I love Zaria, but sometimes she pisses me off. I get that she has love for Bear because of the history we all had, but she could miss me with that “he’s a good nigga” shit. Not to mention, insinuating I feel like I’m better than them because I wanted more for myself was a lie within itself.
“You know… something told me you had some fire in you.” Snapping my eyes open, I smiled when Amelia came into view from behind the counter. “I love that for you.”
“Amelia! Hey, boo.” I walked around the counter and hugged her. I wasn’t usually this friendly, but she had an inviting spirit. “How’s your back?”
“You remember me?” Her eyes went wide as she looked from me to the shoe I placed on the counter. “I know you see so many faces at that hospital daily, so to remember mine is crazy. To answer your question, though, I’m doing a lot better. I didn’t even get the prescription filled—just an old-fashioned heating pad. I’m not a fan of pills.”
Telling her I understood, we both looked at the counter before she asked me for my shoe size. She turned to head toward the back to get the shoebox, letting me know she’d be right back. Looking around the store, I noticed a few more people had come in. With it being close to the end of summer, I knew a lot of people were going to be in and out. One of the nurses told me this was the best and most affordable shoe store on this side of town. I’d done my research enough to know this side of Milly Grove isn’t the most luxurious, but I didn’t mind shopping where I would get more bang for my buck. Seeing a hoodie come into view that I had missed the first time I browsed, I hurried over to get it before Amelia came back with the shoes.
“If you don’t get your fat, funky ass out of my face, I’m going to choke the shit out of you.” I gasped at some man’s brashness as I reached the rack. He was now blocking the set I wanted, and I groaned at the thought of having to ask him if he could move over. “I told you the last time I saw you that if I saw you again, I was going to gut you and feed the whole hood. You thought a nigga was playing with you?”
