Galder
Jack
I was just about to finish my workday when Lewis Marshal, the head GP of the practice I was currently training at, brought in a ghost from my past. Agnes de Rooij used to be my GP when I still lived in Galder. My face dropped and I instinctively scooted my swivel chair back a bit.
Galder was my birthplace. I had grown up there until I was fifteen. Then we relocated due to circumstances. It was a quaint little town situated around a bay, protected by the Green Hills. The surroundings were absolutely breathtaking. For me, the memories of the place were tainted.
“Hi Jack, how have you been?” Agnes asked. Out of politeness, no doubt. She was aware of general social conventions, even though her bedside manner was sorely lacking for a GP.
“Fine,” I replied.
“Is it okay if I sit down?” She gestured towards one of the two chairs in front of my desk.
“Sure,” I answered.
“I came here to ask a favour,” she immediately jumped into it. “I called all my GP-acquaintances from now all the way back to my college years. I’m desperate for some help in the practice. Lewis tipped me off that you’ve nearly finished your final training.”
I stared at her. Was she really about to ask what I thought she was going to?
“I’m all alone in the practice, serving a community of about five thousand people from Galder and the surrounding villages. It’s way too much. I just can’t seem to hold on to GPs in training. They either think it’s too remote, or they can’t adjust to small town life.”
I could attest to the fact that it could sometimes be suffocating.
“Look, I’m going to be honest. I know Galder is probably the last place in the world you would want to be. But I have to ask. You’re from there, so you know the place. I wouldn’t ask if I weren’t in absolute dire straits.”
I had to process that for a while. I could hear in her voice that she was indeed desperate. She looked tired, probably from shouldering the burden of the health of an entire community on her own. My head gave a resounding ‘NO’. But in my heart, I had always been a people pleaser. I felt for her. She just wanted to help people. Our job was helping people. Sigh.
“I’ll think about it. I’ll give you a call.”
Even that non-committal answer seemed to brighten her expression.
“Please, please do!”
That evening I told my family during dinner. My sister Jane and I visited our parents weekly for a common meal.
“Surely, you’re not actually considering it?” Jane asked ardently.
I didn’t answer. I was still feeling bad for Agnes.
“You are, aren’t you!” She softly smacked me on the back of the head, but just hard enough to get her point across.
“No, Jack, you can’t be serious,” mom chimed in.
“Agnes could really use some help. And like she said, I do know the town, and that would be helpful,” I explained.
“Agnes be damned!” Jane shouted. “I think you shouldn’t set a foot in that dreadful town with those dreadful people ever again!”
“The people really have nothing to do with it,” I protested.
“The people have everything to do with it!” Jane countered.
“Guys, calm down!” dad urged. “Can we maybe drop it until after dinner? I’m trying to eat my steak in peace.”
“No, George, we can’t drop it. Not if Jack is about to make a big mistake,” mom said angrily.
“Jack is a grown man. He can make stupid decisions if he wants to,” dad mumbled, but he didn’t dare invoke the wrath of his wife again.
“I haven’t made a decision!” I shouted.
“Yeah, you have,” said Jane, “I can see it in your face. You feel so sorry for this woman that you’re about to completely gloss over what happened.”
Mom looked at me sternly.
“Jack, I know you’re a smart young man. I just hope you know what you’re doing.”
I really hoped so too.
The next day, I gave Agnes a call.
“Hi. I thought about it. I’ll do it, but I have some conditions,” I stated. “I’d like to set a trial period of three months. I’d like to be paid 20% on top of the base salary for those months. And I’d like for my accommodations to be arranged and paid for.”
I had expected some pushback, but to my surprise, I didn’t get any.
“You’ve got it! When can you start?”
I hadn’t thought about that. I had completed my education and the mandatory internships, so I guess I was a full-fledged doctor now.
“Erm, I’m wrapping up with Lewis at the end of next week, so I’m free to start after that.”
“Wonderful! I’ll arrange for a room at the Blackleaf pub! I can show you the ropes on Monday, you’ll come on rounds with me the rest of the week and then you’ll be up to speed. Thank you so much, Jack, you’re really a lifesaver!”
I chuckled at the unintended joke at the end of that sentence.
I really hoped I wasn’t making a big mistake.
Hailey
It was late afternoon on a Sunday. I was running the industrial dishwasher when I heard my dad enthusiastically yell from the front.
“Jack! It’s so good to see you! How have you been? Hailey! Get out here, look who it is!”
I quickly washed my hands and got out to the bar area. A familiar face I hadn’t seen in years greeted me.
“Jack! My God, you’re back! It’s so good to see you again,” I echoed after my dad. “What brings you here to our humble establishment?”
“Hey,” Jack greeted us shyly. “I came to get the key to my room. Agnes is supposed to have arranged it?”
My mouth dropped open.
“She did! Wait, you’re the new GP?”
He nodded.
“Ha! So she roped you into helping her, huh?” my dad bellowed.
“She did, yes,” Jack laughed.
He turned to me.
“You look exactly the same as eleven years ago,” he remarked.
“Good, I hope,” I brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. “You don’t, you know! You look amazing!”
He did. I hardly recognized the scrawny little boy in the man standing before me. He was, of course, pretty memorable. There had only ever been one person with albinism in Galder, and he was standing in front of me right now. He had gotten a bit taller and more muscular. His hair, which had been shoulder length, was now shorter and perfectly styled, showcasing his deep blue eyes. It was, however, still undeniably light. Almost as white as snow, as were his eyebrows and eyelashes.
I turned around to the small cabinet hanging next to the doorway between the bar front and the kitchen. I opened it and took out the key to one of the two rooms. The best one, in my opinion. I offered it to him.
“There’s a separate entrance for the rooms, on the right side of the pub entrance,” I explained. “Come on, I’ll show it to you.”
I led the way to the room above the front part of the pub. It had the disadvantage of being on the street side, meaning that there were sometimes noisy pub-goers on the street late at night. It did have a nice view of the bay and the winding roads leading to it along the hillside.
After I opened the door, I let Jack walk in and lift his suitcase onto the bench intended for it. I stood awkwardly in the doorway, realising he could have found the room just fine on his own. I felt I just wanted to be near him a little longer. Maybe it was my protective nature kicking in, just as it had eleven years ago.
“I can imagine you’ve travelled for a while. Would you like something to drink or eat, maybe? On the house,” I offered. “I can bring it up here if you want?”
I hoped that didn’t come off as a bit too eager.
“That would be nice,” Jack said. “I’ll come down once I’ve unpacked, if that’s all right? But you don’t have to buy me dinner, I can pay my way just fine.”
That came across a little harsh. I guess I had been a little pushy.
“Okay, I’ll leave you to it.” I scurried out of there, still excited.
Jack came out just before the evening rush. He ordered a simple baked potato and some corn on the cob. Dad was apparently just as glad to see Jack again as I was. He kept talking non-stop as Jack ate his dinner at the bar. Jack turned to me after I had served a customer a full tray of beers. It was getting louder around us, so I didn’t hear him right away. I walked to where he was sitting and leaned over the bar a bit.
“What did you say?” I asked.
“I said I didn’t know you took over the place. When did that happen?”
“Oh, that was two years ago. It took quite an effort to get it done and dad severely undersold, but it does mean that the pub stays in the family,” I explained.
“I’m so glad Hailey wanted to do it,” dad said, looking at me lovingly. “I can’t keep up this pace forever, you know? I’ve had a health scare recently.”
“Oh, really? Wat was it?” Jack asked.
“Heart attack. Nothing major, though, but certainly enough reason to get my affairs in order properly.”
“You’re a tough guy, dad,” I reminded him, “You don’t topple over that easily.”
“Certainly not.” He winked at me.
“Well, if you ever start to feel the least bit funny, you know where to find me,” Jack reminded him.
My stepmom called from the kitchen that the dishes for one of the tables in the front were ready to go out. As I entered the kitchen, she shook her head at me.
“Hailey, sweety, you might want to pull your top up a little, I can see your bra.”
I looked down, and as it turned out, I had way more cleavage showing than I felt comfortable with. Shit! I had just stood bent over the bar to talk to Jack. Had I been this exposed to him as well? I blushed and fixed my top. I should’ve just worn a damn T-shirt.
Jack
When Hailey bent over the bar to talk to me, her top rode down considerably. Her black lacy bra was left on full display, visible to just above her nipples. Oh my. I had seen a lot of breasts in my chosen profession, but these were definitely up there when it came to shape and volume.
Don’t stare! I tore my eyes from her bosom in the hope that she hadn’t noticed already. It seemed not, as she didn’t act differently when she stepped away from the bar to go to the kitchen. Unfortunately, this didn’t go for her dad. He was eying me intently, cocking one eyebrow. Shit. I ashamedly stared down at my plate. It was then that I heard the dreaded voice.
“Frosty!”
I felt my heartbeat quicken. A lump formed in my throat. I wasn’t ready for this.
A hand slapped me on the shoulder. I slowly turned to face its owner. Dale Jacoby. I had thought about what I would say to him when I would run into him many times over the years, but every response I had come up with was escaping me now.
“Do not call me frosty,” I growled at him.
He immediately let go of my shoulder.
“Sorry, bro. I didn’t mean to insult you,” he said, hands raised in the air.
You’ve only decided that just now?
“What do I call you then?” Dale asked, still grinning.
“How about my name?” I suggested.
He stared at me blankly.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
“Jack. Stacey,” I reminded him.
“Oh yeah! Jack. That’s why we used to call you frosty.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose.
“John, thanks for the meal. I’ll come by and pay tomorrow, if that’s alright with you.”
John nodded understandingly. I left Dale standing at the bar, confused. I passed Hailey on the way out.
“Are you leaving already?” she asked disappointedly. Then she spotted Dale, and she gave me a sympathetic look.
No! I don’t need anybody’s sympathy. I’m an adult now. I’m supposed to have moved past this!
If only it were that simple.
I didn’t sleep a wink that night.
.
