The car crash

chapter 6

The double doors of the hospital cafe's kitchen open, and a soft song plays in the background. I recognize it all too well. It's "I'm a Fool to Want You," a classic love song that always makes me feel a little melancholy. The lyrics echo through the cafe, adding to the ambiance of the place.

Amanda went over hugging some of her colleagues while slipping on gloves and serving them. She moves gracefully, her movements fluid and effortless. Amanda looks put together, but I wonder what would happen if I pulled the string from the little bow she created, and everything unraveled.

She caught me staring and her head nudges over, I swallow but me and my walker, walk behind the counter, She told me to slip some gloves on and I did and stood beside her, Serving the patients.

The old man approaches the counter and speaks, "I want a chicken breast," hinting at the sale of chicken that serves every day. I nod and place the chicken on his plate, and he licks his lips. "I sure do love me some chicken breast," he says, and the woman behind him hits his shoulder.

"Jerry!" I smile at the sight.

"What? I'm sure this young man loves some chicken breast." He looks over at me "Don't you son?" My mouth parted to answer until Amanda came.

" Jerry, Don't harass him, He just got here" Amanda smirks,

"He new meat?" I nod and smile, greeting him. "I'm Jerry, this woman beside me is my wife," he says, pulling the woman who was behind him and holding her waist, bringing her beside him and kissing her forehead. "And Amanda is my daughter.

"Oh, nice to meet you, Mr. Owen and Ms. Owen. You raised a wonderful daughter," I say- They laugh to themselves and walk off with their plates...
We serve people for 30 more minutes before I ate anything, And I got to say it was pretty good.

After eating Amanda walk me back to my room, because it was getting late, I adjust myself on my bed- Not really wanting to sleep just yet.

"You want to play cards? I have 20 minutes until my shift ends" Holding out a deck of old maid cards

"Yeah, why not?" I say playfully, shrugging my shoulders "I am the best at that game after all"

"Okay, The best is most definitely a lie"

"How so?" I ask

"Because I'm the best"

"All right then prove me wrong" Patting a space on my bed, She came over and sat down- dealing out the cards. " What would I get if I win?"

"Definitely something not inappropriate" She looks up at me in the midst of handing me the cards, I smile looking away.

" Wow, You know what I wasn't even suggesting that" I chuckle, and rolls her eyes with a smile

"Whatever, Just draw your cards," she said, holding her cards in a way that covered her nose and mouth, leaving only her eyes visible. Her eyes were intense and seemed to bore into mine, daring me to make a move, I took one of her cards, and place it in the middle- And she does the same- as her fingertip runs across the tops of the cards until she pick the middle.
She often bit her lip as she was trying to pick, I had to breathe, and remember I'm married with kids at that...The game was reaching its climax.
As she finally pulls out the joker card,

"Damnit" She hisses.

"Told you I'm the best"

"yeah, yeah" She took the card and held them in place with a rubber band.

" You don't ever feel annoyed with me right?" I blurt, She looks puzzled as she sets the card down, giving me her full attention.

"Where did this thinking come about?"

"I mean, I'm a grown man...You shouldn't have to be doing this for me"

"You're not used to anyone taking care of you, right?" Amanda asks, and I nod. Her question lingers in the air, and I can't help but feel vulnerable. But then she says, "It doesn't bother me at all. Because I would want someone to do the same thing for me." Her hands latch onto mine, and her eyes glisten with tears. A closed smile wipes across her face, and I can feel the warmth of her kindness radiating toward me.

"Since I won the game, do I get my prize?" I ask, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah," Amanda replies, her voice barely above a whisper. The sound of her voice is soothing, and I can't help but feel grateful for her.

"Your hair, Take it down"

"Your hair, take it down," I say to Amanda, and she nods in agreement. Her hands go behind her head, trying to undo her ponytail, but I stop her. My hands go to her hair, gently pulling down her rubber band, letting her hair flow down the sides of her face. As I look at her, I can't help but feel captivated by her beauty.

"You're so beautiful," I remind her, only out loud this time. She smiles, and her hand comes up to hold mine that's still holding the sides of her head...I notice our closeness and am not bothered by it...Neither was she.

As our eyes meet, I can feel the tension between us growing. We both know what's about to happen and yet there's a sense of anticipation that makes my heart race. Slowly, I lean in, my lips hovering just inches from hers. I can feel her breath on my face, warm and inviting. And then, finally, our lips meet in a soft, gentle kiss. It's like nothing I've ever experienced before - a moment of pure bliss and connection. As we deepen the kiss, I can feel her hands on my back, pulling me closer. The world around us fades away, and all that matters is this moment, this kiss. It's beautiful, in a way that words can't quite capture. And as we pull away, our eyes are still locked.

"Shit" She wipes away her mouth as if she didn't enjoy it " I'm sorry" She whispers

"I'm sorry" She repeats.

"It's fine, I promise-"

"No, it's not you are married! we-" She stands from the bed, grabs her oversize jacket take swallows her body " We can't do that again- that can't happen again"

"but it did"I say,  She pauses, the walks away.