She already knew his face would be there when she closed the door to her locker. With a slow deep breath she tried to get a handle on her fried nerves. It had already been a stressful shift, and she didn't have patience for this.
As predicted, a handsome face with a suave grin materialized when she shut it. Perfectly tamed coffee colored curls were over deep green eyes. She could feel them burning into the side of her face.
“Hey Juniper, how'd the rest of your shift go?" His tone was playful.
She dared not look at him as she dug into her purse for her phone.
“Fine, yours?”
“Good, but it'd be better if it was wrapped up by sharing some coffee with a lovely lady.”
She glanced up at him and raised an eyebrow.
“It's four in the morning, I don't want coffee.”
“You can always get decaf or those fruity teas.” He lightly suggested.
She sighed.
“I already told you, I'm not interested.” She said flatly.
He leaned against the locker next to hers. Grin didn't fade.
“Common Juniper, give me another chance. We've only been on one date. That's not enough to get a good impression of me.”
Her fingers finally found her phone.
“Look, Brendan, you're a nice guy, but…”
She paused to get a handle on her words as she quickly glanced at the lock screen.
A couple calls from her mother. She internally groaned.
“But?” His voice dropped.
She looked at him again to see his smile had faded.
“But I'm not interested in guys, okay?”
He frowned, “Seriously?”
“Yes.”
His grin flashed.
“You're not just saying that to get rid of me, right?” A slight teasing in his voice
She let her face go into neutral seriousness.
“No, I'm not. This may sting your pride, but I only went on a date with you to get my mom off my ass.”
The look on his face told her he was insulted, but it only lasted a moment.
“I bet I could change your mind.” He joked.
She ground her teeth. Annoyance was flashing across her brain.
“I've been into girls since I was fourteen. There's no way that you're magically going to make me want a hotdog when I've been craving tacos for twelve years.” She huffed.
He choked on a laugh. So desperately she wanted to grimace.
“Alright, fine. But you know where to find me if you want to fill that bun.” He said with a wink.
The grimace finally came out as she rolled her eyes.
“Have a good day, Dr. Giffard.” She said, turning on her heel.
“You too, lovely lady.” He called after her as she left the locker room.
She flipped up the collar of her jacket as she stepped out of the automated hospital doors. Even with a tired body asking to lay down to sleep, she sat in the cold car for several minutes. Resting her forehead on the steering wheel, she took a long sigh.
How was she going to deal with her mother after having spent all the self control she had on Brendan?
With a reluctant turn of the key, she started the car.
Thankfully the house was dark and quiet. She didn't bother to take a shower. The extra noise was only going to attract the ever listening ear of her mother. She shrugged off her scrubs like she did her day. Crawling into bed, she fell into a short, shallow, and restless sleep.
It was deja vu all over again as she stepped foot in the kitchen. Even though she was bustling over the stove, her mother was instantly throwing questions at her.
“You did good on your shift?” She asked in Mandarin.
“Yeah.” She replied as she slipped into a chair.
“Get a surgery in?”
“Yup.”
She eyed the cup of coffee on the table.
“You see that nice young doctor again?”
“Mhm.”
She hooked her fingers into the handle.
“He ask you on another date?”
“Nope.” She lied between sips.
Her mother's frowning, middle aged face flashed at her over her shoulder. Graying black hair was pulled back into a bun. She was still in her red silk robe and slippers.
“Then why didn't you ask him?”
“Would have been awkward.”
“No it wouldn't! It's the twenty first century. Women can make the moves if they want!”
“It would kinda be awkward to ask because I saw him kissing what I can only assume was his new girlfriend goodbye the other day.” She tried to feign disappointment through another lie.
Her mom let out a frustrated sigh as she went back to cooking
“Why do you always send men running the other way? At this rate you will never get married and give me grandchildren!” She grumbled.
Her heart wretched. It was the same conversation. Every day.
Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
She was only going to hold value if she married a rich man and popped out a brood of miniature people.
After all these years it was starting to wear her self worth thin.
Maybe her mom was right.
Maybe she was just a waste of baby making hips. Maybe her uterus would make her more important, not her brain. She should just give in. Find a decent guy; one she could tolerate. Obediently spread her legs and live out the stupid American dream that her mom so desperately wanted for her.
At least she'd stop nagging. For a little while.
A plate of food and a fork slid onto the table in front of her.
“You coming to your father's holiday party?”
“No, I have to work both days this weekend on top of my Saturday night shift.”
“What? You tell Bob it's important!”
“It's just a holiday party, mom.”
“Is not! All of your father'a superiors will be there!” Her hand reached out to grab her wrist before she could grab the fork.
“They have eligible sons. Your father told me! One of them could be your future husband! It's imperative you tell Bob to give you Sunday off.”
Tactfully she pulled her wrist from her hand. She stabbed at the food as her mom sat down.
“I can't. The wolf has her hunt, so she gets the weekend off. They need me to cover.” She muttered.
A glance at her mother. Her eyes were narrowed as she grunted.
“First the wolves take over Europe, now they take over America! Soon humans won't be worth a damn thing,” She hissed, “We'll be on reservations begging for special rights and privileges!”
Her mother continued to grumble as she chewed her food.
She shared in her misery. It seemed no matter where they immigrated to, wolves were cursing their lives.
A shuffling interrupted her mother's unintelligible complaints. Looking up, her father was struggling to button the cuff of his sleeve. An affectionate click of her tongue, and her mother reached over to help him as he sat across the table from her.
His wrinkles were more obvious on his fair skin as he smiled at her mother. Hazel eyes lit up as he looked at her in thanks. It suddenly occurred to her that his light brown hair was graying more at the temples
“Good morning, my dove.” He said in English, his polish accent still thick on certain syllables.
He affectionately pecked her mother on the lips. Her smile beamed at him.
Dropping her gaze, she focused on her food.
“You sleep well?” Her mother asked as she hopped up from the table.
“Mhm. You should know, you slept beside me.” He lightly responded.
The giggle her mother released was almost like an infatuated school girls.
She quietly finished her food as they made small talk. Shoving the last bite into her mouth, she stood from the table. Depositing her dishes in the sink, she resolved to have more coffee.
“Juniper can't go to the holiday party!” Her mother suddenly said.
She silently poured the black liquid into her mug.
“Really? How come?”
“That wolf she works with has her hunt this weekend. She has to cover.”
Her father grunted.
“You need to find a new job.” He said gruffly.
“I've been looking around, it's hard to find a place that works with my schedule.” She replied.
“Well, better to have a job were they respect the people that actually work, than be where wolves just get to show up and run the place like they own it.” He said.
“Yeah,” She sighed, “I'm sure something will turn up.”
A quick kiss to both their cheeks, and it was down the hall back to her room. She removed the make up that had turned into her into some sort of haggard raccoon. Morning routine was mindless as she waited for the coffee to kick in.
Make up reapplied, hair curled and outfit perfectly matched, she was out the door. The late morning sun hadn't tamed the cold bite of the end of fall air. It smelled crisp and dense. Even with a blue sky, she knew it was going to snow soon, maybe by the end of the week. Part of her was looking forward to seeing the quaint suburbia around her dusted in white again.
She huddled into her jacket until she stepped into the dive-bar. The warmth and smells of it didn't comfort her like it used to. It just reminded her of the situation she was stuck in. Stuck in against her will.
As she walked passed the booths towards the back, she caught a glimpse of Alice pouring coffee into a mug at a far table. An older patron was animatedly talking to her as she offered him a shy smile and gentle nod. It made her all the more frustrated.
Alice had been promoted so fast. Only a busser for a month, and now she was waiting tables. In comparison, she'd busted her tail for months before Bob had even considered putting her on the floor. She's worked hard to build rapport with the regulars. Show Bob that she was serious about the job and his business.
But seeing Alice just glide up the ladder simply because she was a wolf made her sick. Sure she had an intense work ethic like she did, but why was it all just handed to her?
Why did being able to transform into some four legged animal make her any more special than a human?
The familiar burning irritation was already clawing at her mind when she opened her locker.
Brendan.
Her mom.
Now this.
How much more could she take?
With a sigh to try to numb the emotions, she tied her apron. When she stepped into the kitchen, she noticed Darrell had already gotten his apron dirty. It had obviously been a busy morning.
“Good Morning.” Alice's tone was timid.
The greeting scratched at her ears. As she had and always would do, she ignored her. Stepping by with out as much as a glance, she started her shift. Patrons recognizing her helped ease her mind. It was nice to wait on a friendly face and a kind word. That reminded her that there were still up sides of her job.
Avoiding Alice helped keep her mood cool and collected. The less she had to see and interact with her, the better. It was the only way that was going to keep her sane until she found a new place to work.
She picked up a glass and filled it up to the brim as she answered a friendly question from one of the regulars.
“...It's not horrible, I can sleep when I die.” She lightly laughed.
When she set the glass down, the gentle smile on the older woman's face crinkled up in care. Her hand reached out to tap her wrist.
“Oh, to be young and spry again.” She giggled as she glanced across the table at her husband.
He snorted, a warm smile appearing on his lips.
“So I only get to see you for one more year?” She continued.
“Give or take. Residencies take between thirteen to twenty four months. I'm eight in.”
“Residency for what, dear?”
“Surgical Physicians Assistant.” She explained.
“Ah, I see.”
She filled his glass.
“Anything else I can get you while you wait?” She asked between both of them.
He shook his head, as did she.
“No dear, but thank you.”
With a smile she turned. She picked up a couple dishes from empty tables her way back to the kitchen. Alice appeared through the swinging door, her arms loaded with orders. Without hesitation she gracefully floated by her.
The dishes were deposited into the sink and she filled up the water pitcher again.
A loud clatter rattled her ear drums.
Worry hit her as she wondered if the shelf of the bar had fallen again.
Light on her feet, she burst through the kitchen door. She was surprised to find the bar was intact, the bar tender unharmed. Instead she found broken plates and still steaming fresh food splattered across the floor. Alice stood frozen at it's epicenter. Her face was mortified. She could see her hands visibly shaking as they pulled at her hair.
She felt no sympathy. It was like sweet justice had been served. About time the wolf got a taste of reality. Nothing came easy. It almost made her smile in satisfaction. Just as she decided to head back to the kitchen, Alice's trembling voice stopped her.
“Juniper, What do I do now?”
She gave her a slow blink and then raised an eyebrow at her.
“Figure it out yourself, I don't give free hand outs.” She grunted through pursed lips.
Alice's distraught eyes were almost watering as she stared back at her.
The other waiters and waitresses were beginning to flock around her broke their eye contact. An irritated sigh left her. With out a second glance, she made her way back into the kitchen.