fate and make a call. A
voice he recognized quickly answered on the other end, full of annoyance and
accusation. “What took you so long?” it demanded.
As she spoke with Bill, Linda was busy with a patient in the
alternative medicine clinic at her house. She wore a white lab jacket and stood
near a male patient in his fifties. He was exposed, except for his boxer
shorts, and lay on a treatment table with needles
stuck in him from head to toe. Linda had just finished placing those needles in
the appropriate spots when Bill called. The patient had come on account of a
car accident that had given him a whiplash injury six months previously. On
this day, he was receiving acupuncture for the first time. He had not wanted to
come. He was deeply skeptical about the usefulness of alternative medicine and
fearful of needles. The only reason he had made the appointment with Linda is
that his regular physician had failed to diagnose or eliminate the persistent pain,
which he felt from the accident, and urged him to try acupuncture. The
physician knew several patients whom Linda had helped.
“Hi, Linda. It’s me, Bill,” Bill said cheerfully, pretending
that yesterday had never happened. Instead of recalling that she was crazy and
that he had sworn to never speak with her again, he reverted to being the
hardy, young buck nuzzling his soft, shy doe. Again he was the dashing cavalier
paying court to his alluring, coy mistress.
“I know who it is,” she said, without any trace of coyness.
“I got all of your messages,” he rushed on, eager to
insinuate himself in the sensitive affections of his sweetheart. “But I’ve been
so busy. I had a hundred things to do at the office. Calls kept coming in. I
was being pulled here and there. I had to send email after email. My coworkers
wouldn’t leave me alone.” At that moment, he recalled the makeup and rubbed his
face with his spare hand to remove it, never ceasing to talk. “There’s a big
pitch coming up next week that I have to prepare for.”
“Answer my question,” she interrupted, flinging off any sign
of shyness. “Can you or not?”
“I didn’t have time to call until now,” the courtier
continued. “I’m sorry. I’ll try to get away sooner next time. You’re more
important than any work I have to do. I won’t let it happen again.”
“Yes or no,” his angel thundered, as if judgment day had
come.
“I can definitely go for a hike Saturday,” he assured his
darling, concluding his premeditated speech. “I would love to see you again.
We’ll have a great time.” With those selling words, he closed a better pitch
than he gave most clients.
While Linda and Bill had been chatting, the patient on the
table felt something on his left ear and touched the spot with his hand. He was
alarmed to see blood on his finger. “My ear is bleeding,” he suddenly said to
Linda in alarm, raising his head from the table.
“Don’t be a baby,” she snapped at the patient.
“What did you say?” Bill asked her. He thought she had
spoken to him and was uncertain if she was as happy as
he was that they would be seeing each other again. He then heard the patient
screaming, “I want out of here! Take these needles out!” Those words consoled
Bill immediately, because he knew that Linda was momentarily distracted. He was
completely put at ease when he heard her shout back, “Shut up and relax! Act
like a man. It’s just a little blood.” The sound of a door being slammed told
him that Linda would very soon be able to concentrate all her attention on him.
“It’s good you can go. If you were trying to waste my time
now, I would hang up,” Linda said to Bill, with a voice a little sweeter than
she had used with the patient, whom she had left in the room alone. She now
stood in a hallway.
“I’m glad you’re happy,” Bill replied enthusiastically. “I
want you to be happy. Where do you want to hike?”
“The mountain,” she said, meaning Bear Mountain in
voice he recognized quickly answered on the other end, full of annoyance and
accusation. “What took you so long?” it demanded.
As she spoke with Bill, Linda was busy with a patient in the
alternative medicine clinic at her house. She wore a white lab jacket and stood
near a male patient in his fifties. He was exposed, except for his boxer
shorts, and lay on a treatment table with needles
stuck in him from head to toe. Linda had just finished placing those needles in
the appropriate spots when Bill called. The patient had come on account of a
car accident that had given him a whiplash injury six months previously. On
this day, he was receiving acupuncture for the first time. He had not wanted to
come. He was deeply skeptical about the usefulness of alternative medicine and
fearful of needles. The only reason he had made the appointment with Linda is
that his regular physician had failed to diagnose or eliminate the persistent pain,
which he felt from the accident, and urged him to try acupuncture. The
physician knew several patients whom Linda had helped.
“Hi, Linda. It’s me, Bill,” Bill said cheerfully, pretending
that yesterday had never happened. Instead of recalling that she was crazy and
that he had sworn to never speak with her again, he reverted to being the
hardy, young buck nuzzling his soft, shy doe. Again he was the dashing cavalier
paying court to his alluring, coy mistress.
“I know who it is,” she said, without any trace of coyness.
“I got all of your messages,” he rushed on, eager to
insinuate himself in the sensitive affections of his sweetheart. “But I’ve been
so busy. I had a hundred things to do at the office. Calls kept coming in. I
was being pulled here and there. I had to send email after email. My coworkers
wouldn’t leave me alone.” At that moment, he recalled the makeup and rubbed his
face with his spare hand to remove it, never ceasing to talk. “There’s a big
pitch coming up next week that I have to prepare for.”
“Answer my question,” she interrupted, flinging off any sign
of shyness. “Can you or not?”
“I didn’t have time to call until now,” the courtier
continued. “I’m sorry. I’ll try to get away sooner next time. You’re more
important than any work I have to do. I won’t let it happen again.”
“Yes or no,” his angel thundered, as if judgment day had
come.
“I can definitely go for a hike Saturday,” he assured his
darling, concluding his premeditated speech. “I would love to see you again.
We’ll have a great time.” With those selling words, he closed a better pitch
than he gave most clients.
While Linda and Bill had been chatting, the patient on the
table felt something on his left ear and touched the spot with his hand. He was
alarmed to see blood on his finger. “My ear is bleeding,” he suddenly said to
Linda in alarm, raising his head from the table.
“Don’t be a baby,” she snapped at the patient.
“What did you say?” Bill asked her. He thought she had
spoken to him and was uncertain if she was as happy as
he was that they would be seeing each other again. He then heard the patient
screaming, “I want out of here! Take these needles out!” Those words consoled
Bill immediately, because he knew that Linda was momentarily distracted. He was
completely put at ease when he heard her shout back, “Shut up and relax! Act
like a man. It’s just a little blood.” The sound of a door being slammed told
him that Linda would very soon be able to concentrate all her attention on him.
“It’s good you can go. If you were trying to waste my time
now, I would hang up,” Linda said to Bill, with a voice a little sweeter than
she had used with the patient, whom she had left in the room alone. She now
stood in a hallway.
“I’m glad you’re happy,” Bill replied enthusiastically. “I
want you to be happy. Where do you want to hike?”
“The mountain,” she said, meaning Bear Mountain in
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