Page 6 of Yours to Lose
He radiates cheer. That’s not exactly my speed these days.
Jeremy
Some cheer would probably do you some good. You’re dangerously close to becoming one of those old men who yell at people to get off their lawn.
Me
I’d have to have a lawn for that.
Jeremy
Yeah, no lawns to be found in that concrete jungle you’re living in.
So, have you given any thought to coming to Pittsburgh to meet the twins?
I sigh as I push out the double doors of the hospital onto a very loud Tenth Avenue teeming with cabs and cars and a million pedestrians doing the morning rush. That’s another thing Jeremy does every time he texts me. Asks me about coming to Pittsburgh. It’s not as overbearing as the way my brothers get when they demand I make an appearance in Boston, but it’s annoying all the same. There are only so many different ways I can say no before I feel like screamingI’m fucking fine so stop asking.
Me
I have given exactly no thought to that.
Jeremy
Well, you should. They’re really tiny and cute, and you used to love kids. You made an entire profession out of hanging with kids all day.
Me
I made an entire profession out of operating on kids. While they were asleep.
Jeremy
Fuck off. You used to carry superhero figures and Barbies in the pockets of your white coat so you could play with your patients.
I’ve known you for like seventeen years. You can’t lie to me.
I roll my eyes because the guy isn’t wrong. The old me used to love pediatrics. The old me was different.
Me
Okay fine, I loved my patients. But I have a new job now.
Jeremy
You hate that job.
Me
I do not.
I do.
Jeremy
There you go with the lying again. When will you be home?
I frown at the screen—because what a weird fucking question.
Me
