The Uniform And The Scrubs

Being careful not to drop any red sauce on her blue scrubs, Anne Gail performed white plate clean up, using the final garlic roll, removing any lasagna entree remains, loitering around too long.

Staring out the window, interrupted when the wait staff arrived repossessing the dishes occupying the table, reminding the committed wife, pondering exactly where things are going following modeling ‘the dress for success lifestyle’.

Picking up the cell phone, the dinging bright light reminded the veteran floor nurse about the offer presented by executives who ran the hospital. “Touch 1 to accept and schedule a meeting, 2 to opt out of any future messages,” the higher education graduate read twice before finalizing the resolution.

“If I say, yes, then I will leave all my patients that are here for a few days and discharge like they were just visiting a themed amusement park,” the moralistic thought quickly came and went as she emphatically hit the first selection.

After portraying a boomerang, the plastic card returned, and Anne Gail Farrell scripted a signature, then departed the Italian restaurant.

Crossing the street, the alumni financial donor strolled back onto her alma mater campus, keeping her eye focused dead ahead sending a nonverbal message towards the chapel, an anchoring structured building, intended upon bringing intellectual peaceful understanding between all the schools through social spiritual interaction. “Four years I gave to you,” Anne Gail proclaimed talking to God, “and now it is time to really show people what I learned here.”

“Anne Gail, Anne Gail Kelly,” a recognizable voice sounded, resonating in the sunset twilight.

“Actually, it is Anne Gail Farrell,” she replied turning around, “Sister, Sister Florence.”

“Your husband is no longer there,” Sister Florence paused, “if you were looking for a place to make a compromise.”

“Where is he?”

“In the quadrangle,”

“Thank you, Sister,” Anne Gail politely stated, moving on through the mall, making a right entering the designated artistic area.

Seeing her husband of many years, Anne Gail quietly whispered, “always the dreamer, but forced to deal with calculated numbers, factual truths.”

“It’s not that,” Knight’s perked ears responded, “okay, I fell in love with your academic beauty.”

“And?”

“Reality showed up,” Knight admitted, “challenging the facade.”

“Are you saying I have no backbone?” Anne Gail caught the hidden emotional monologue fallout, neighboring the University theater production door, “up front in college I presented this clean, innocent, strong, all together identity.”

“Then overnight,” Knight honestly spoke, “things chipped away.”

“It was the economy stupid,” Anne Gail lightened the moment, “remember.”

“Somewhere we were no longer doing good business,” Knight surmised.

Silence hauntingly beckoned and the couple monitored a grass field, as two popular personalities singing show tunes, holding hands, emerged and disappeared. Quietly curious, Knight and Anne Gail, watched them display, honest, Catholic affection, “you know they wrote songs about comic strip characters last century,” the girl player acknowledged.

“I know and poetic cats,” the male lead added.

Once they were a fair distance away, Anne Gail remarked, “that’s our gen generation.”

“We always worked together,” Knight reflected.

“Knight,” Anne Gail announced, “I am going to change.”

Next morning, all suited up, despite warm weather forecasted, Knight took a sip, relishing a moment with his coffee when he heard someone coming from upstairs, “honey, do you need a ride to the hospital?”

“Ah, yeah,” Anne Gail accepted, “I do not want to ruin my nails.”

“Your nails?”

“Oh, I forgot,” Anne Gail paused, noticing her husband witness a new image, “I have a conference hearing and decided to take the promotion.”

“Decision maker?”

“Yeah,” Anne Gail confirmed, “study the cold-hearted bottom line and give tender loving treatment to make them feel better.”

“And that is the woman who I married,” Knight clarified starting the day welcoming an open arm embrace, creating warm trust, strengthening their bonding relationship.