Tuesday Tales in the Mirror...what would you see?

Ahoy Fellow Fathomers! This week our group writes to the reflective word- mirror.  This will be an excerpt from Twister Fate, a new WIP for a new romance contemporary.

 

 

Releasing a long exhale, Cameron took his time with one simple sentence. “Sheila wants to move back to the East Coast when I finish school. She’s actually looking for jobs out there.”

Suddenly, this girl angered me, taking advantage of Cameron’s emotions. He was too much a gentleman to tell her no. “What about your job? Seems to me it should be up to you, since you’re gonna be a doctor.”

“I can get a job just about anywhere. There’s always a need for physicians.”

“Don’t you have to take state license exams or something to practice medicine in different states? That test can’t be too easy.”

“You’re right, most states require separate testing, but there’s some reciprocity too.” Running his hand through his hair, he appeared contrite. “We haven’t figured it all out yet.”

“I guess I never thought you’d want to move away from your family and uproot again.”

“I’m flexible, and learning to compromise.”

I was such an idiot. This girl wasn’t just a fling or a young romance, she was his fiancée for crying out loud. Of course, he would be willing to make some life adjustments for her. Damn, he could probably do quite well practicing medicine out in some big city. “I’m proud of you.”

What a condescending thing to say.

“Enough about me, how about you? I never asked what your career was?”

Smoothly transitioning out of the fire, Cameron turned the conversation back to me again. I truly didn’t want to be the focus, yet here I was. “I became a teacher. Of course, I’m on a leave of absence for a while.”

“I bet you’re a wonderful teacher. You’ve always been full of energy and imagination. Those kids are lucky.”

If I hadn’t known Cameron for so long, even with the years apart, I’d think he was pouring on the charm. “My job keeps me on my toes, that’s for sure. Most days are good ones, and some of my students are so sweet.”

I missed the daily interaction I had with my students. The mother hen in me desired the happy faces and eager minds of the kids I considered my own from nine to three thirty each day. “I teach second grade. Some of the ideas they come up with are brilliant and I forget how good kids are at problem solving. They don’t make the world so complicated. With them I see the innocence we all used to live by.” Thinking about them made me want to smile, but, somehow I still couldn’t. “I wanted to go back to college for my post-graduate degree. I’m not going to do that now.”

“You might not do it now, or anytime in the near future. But, you’ll find that drive again.” Nodding, Cameron revealed his confidence I would return to a state of dynamic normal rather than the feeble version I found myself operating by.

Good thing he was probably moving away. I was sure I’d let him down. I was ready for him to leave my room so I could be alone. Any talk about the future reminded me of everything I lost. “I’m getting tired…”

“Sure thing, take a nap. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Turning over, as much as I could in that bed, I faced the opposite wall and said as much as I could. “Okay.” Good thing there wasn't a mirror in my hospital room, I could see just how wretched I looked. I wasn’t in the mood for visual proof of my internal struggle.

Please visit us at our main site for more interpretations of mirror Tuesday Tales Main Page