Page 31 of Family Bonds- Gabriela & Luca

She pointed her finger. “That’s it exactly. It happens a lot and that’s life.”

“I should go and meet some people,” he said.

“It will be fun.”

Not really a date, but getting out there to socialize again. He knew he had to force himself to do it.

“Something I haven’t had in a while.”

“Aww,” she said. “I know that feeling. Living here, I can say it’s not that much fun, but back in Boston, it’s frustrating.”

“How’s that?”

“How much time do you have?” she asked. “Because the stories I can tell you about the single life there compared to here…”

“I’ve got all the time you want to give me,” he said before he could ask himself why he was still putting himself out there.

10

CHANGE OF PACE

“You’re pulling my leg,” Luca said thirty minutes later.

“No,” Gabriela said, shaking her head dramatically. “I swear, I’m not. I can’t make this shit up.” She popped a fry in her mouth. “He insisted it was the only way to get snot out of his nose. Jamming a finger up there and pulling it out. I should add he went on to say how satisfying it was to feel it coming out of his sinuses that way.” She leaned closer. “It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him he might need to seek medical help.”

He shivered next to her. “I would have had to get up and wash my hands after.”

“It was darn close. That was almost as bad as the guy I went on a date with years ago who enjoyed picking at things. Not his nose though. I almost asked him that, but he volunteered he didn’t do that, like it was too gross.”

“Picked at what?” he asked. His club sandwich was gone, but he lifted his fork to dive into his potato salad.

“Scabs, pimples. Things like that. We were at the movies and I could see him picking at his arm. I asked if he was okay and he said the scab was bothering him. Not itching or anything, justbeing there. I said I had a Band-Aid for him in my purse and he said no, he was fine. Once it was off his OCD would be gone.”

“How long did that date last?”

“If I could have snuck out at that moment, I would have, but the movie was good so I stuck it out. When it was done though, we parted ways.”

“Guess I didn’t know what I was missing for years.”

“It really sucks,” she whined. “So it’s a toss up between living in a bigger city and having hope that you’ll run into someone you can have a good time with, or being here where you know it’s most likely not going to happen.”

“No expectations, that is what you’re telling me?”

She shifted her leg under the table, accidentally brushing his foot. “Sorry,” she said. “And yeah, don’t have too many unless it’s a single mom. I’ve gotten hit on by single dads. Hell, not only single dads will flirt when their kid isn’t around or too young to know.”

“Creeps.”

“Lots of them. Not so much here. The thing is, here, you won’t see the same patients as much because of the rotating schedule, unless they request you. But that guarantees nothing either.”

“Since you’ve been here a few months, other than not having much of a personal life, how do you like it?”

“I like it a lot. I think I just needed a change of pace. The problem with being in your thirties now and being single is that most of the men have issues. Or some kind of baggage. Divorced, kids and never been married, still living at home.”

“Being a widower.”

Her jaw opened. “Put my foot in my mouth there.”

“No worries. It’s not a secret. And that means I get to look forward to women putting me in that category also.”