Social Distancing

Max pulls his friend in for a hug ignoring the offered hand. Hard, tight and brief he whispers something to the shorter man before letting him go. Dan nods, claps Max once on the shoulder then follows the nurse out the door. Once they’re gone he turns to face the currently empty waiting room inside the University of Pennsylvania hospital.

Max paces a bit, periodically stopping to stare out at 34^th and spruce through the waist to ceiling windows that cover three out of four walls. Snorting loudly he wonders if the busy self-important folks rushing around below have any clue how fortunate they are. God knows he hadn’t appreciated his sweet mundane life until a few months ago.

Max’s reverie is disturbed by a distraught family entering the waiting room noisily consoling one another. Shying away from the melodrama he plants himself in one of the plush chairs on the far side of the room popping in a pair of cordless headphones. He starts a playlist muting it, then picks up a magazine for good measure. Some folks just didn’t get the ‘I want to be alone’ message from a mere pair of headphones.

Having just completed his fourth or fifth flip through the ridiculously old edition of O magazine. Max sees a pretty curvaceous brunette standing in the doorway surveying the waiting room looking for a seat. He continues to focus on the magazine in front of him, occasionally bobbing his head in time to a memorized beat or humming in hopes of adding believability to his act.

Even as Max pretends not to notice, he watches her glance from grieving face to grieving face. Noticing how her hazel eyes keep coming back to the two empty seats next to him. Groaning louder than he’d intended when she heads in his direction.

“Is this seat taken,” The woman asks Max who pointedly ignores her, continuing to sing and turn the pages of the aged and torn magazine. Not to be put off the youngish woman taps the underside of his magazine forcing Max to look at her. “Sorry to bother you,” she says sweetly. Liar! Max thinks removing an earbud to give her an annoyed questioning look. “I um, is that seat taken,” she asks again pointing to the chairs next to him. “No,” Max says curtly then replaces his earbud hoping she’ll take the hint. She didn’t.

 After four minutes of fidgeting with crap in her purse she stares at Jerry Springer on the medium sized flat screen hanging in the corner grumbling about so called reality t.v. being garbage. Max agreed wholeheartedly and nearly said so before remembering he’s not supposed to be able to hear her.

Another three minutes goes by before she interrupts him again. “I hate sitting in hospital waiting rooms, the not knowing drives me nuts,” she says out of nowhere staring straight at Max. DAMN! Max thought breaking the illusion of modern distraction with one instance of eye contact.

“My mother in law had this crazy nose bleed that wouldn’t stop and my husband is overseas on business and she wouldn’t let me call her an ambulance so I had no choice but to bring her here myself and,” The woman stops talking abruptly her chin dimpling below her quivering bottom lip as she struggles not to cry. “I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Max offers in a gruff tone his brown eyes soft and remorseful. “Thank you, I’m Jazmyn by the way,” she says sniffling into the wad of thin hospital tissue’s Max hands her.

Dammit I just wanted to be left alone he thinks closing the magazine with a sigh. “Max,” he offers with a nod then pulls out his cellphone making a production of selecting a podcast. Scrolling he picks his favorite genre noir detective stories. “Oooh that’s a good one,” Jazmyn pipes up from beside him pointing at the third tittle from the top. ‘It wasn’t the dame this time’.

“I know, I know,” Jazmyn says giggling at the appalled look on Max’s face. “It’s a dumb title but a really good story. I got through it in eight hours and that was only because I had to go to work and actually accomplish something,” Jazmyn confessed to Max who smiled broadly despite himself. “I’ve always loved detective stories, when I was a kid I would act them out with my friends and of course I always the detective,” Max divulged then blushed wanted to kick himself for admitting too much.

Max and Jazmyn talk about their favorite detective stories, their favorite novels, the pros and cons of various reading platforms. Before they knew it an hour has passed and the pair are teasing and laughing like old friends instead of two strangers that met by chance in a hospital waiting room. More than a few times the duo drew annoyed glances from other people in the waiting room. They would shush one another in a stage whisper then break into even louder peals of laughter.

“Mrs. Delarosa,” The nurse called out. “Here I am,” Jazmyn called out jumping up as if she’d just been called to contestant’s row on the prices right. “My name is Jan and I’m your mother in law’s nurse,” The chunky fair skinned woman in the snoopy scrubs supplied. “How is she, is the baby all right,” Jazmyn asks her words coming out in a rush. “They are both perfect. She’s being given IV fluids and is resting comfortably. Someone will take you to her once she’s in her room for the night,” Jan assures Jazymn. “If everything is “perfect”, why can’t I take her home tonight,” Jazmyn asked using air quotes to emphasize the word perfect. Jan gave her a reassuring smile as she explained. “It’s merely a precaution because she’s of advanced maternal age,” Jan said in her soothing nurse voice. “Thank you Jan,” Jazmyn replied giving the woman’s hand a squeeze before returning to sit next to Max with a huge relieved grin.

After texting her husband the update on his mother’s condition she returns her attention to Max. “Thanks so much for keeping me company, I know I was being a pain while you tried so politely to ignore me,” Jazmyn says laughing at the rush of color that spreads outward from Max’s cheeks to redden his entire face. Shrugging palms up he chuckles. “Okay you caught me, but I hate when random strangers walk up to me and just start telling me their entire life story. I do my best to discourage it by looking busy,” Max says. “Does it work,” Jazmyn asks laughing at the sardonic look he gives her before replying. “Usually no,” Max answers with a woeful shake of his head. “Maybe you just have one of those faces that makes folks comfortable opening up to you,” Jazmyn suggests “Hmph,” is all max says rolling his eyes and sucking his teeth then changes the subject.

“Since you admit to deliberately sabotaging my masterplan it’s going to cost you little lady now fess up,” Max says his brows drawing down as he closely examines Jazmyn’s face with suspicion. “I’ll do my best detective,” she says batting her long lashes up at him, her dainty hand fluttering above her scooped neckline. “How old is your mother in law and why are you here instead of the baby’s father,” Max asks.

“Well dayum, okay straight to the point,” Jazmyn replies sitting back in the chair folding her arms beneath her small breasts. “She’s forty-three, and the baby’s father is away on business,” Jazmyn supplied helpfully a naughty twinkle in her eyes as she watches Max process this information. “So he’s working with your husband,” Max surmises frowning, puzzled by the myriad of emotions that flash across Jazmyn’s face before she answers. “My husband is the baby’s father,” at the expression on Max’s face Jazmyn laughs so hard she nearly falls out the chair.

 It takes her a few minutes to recover but finally Jazmyn sits up deep breathing, wiping away tears with one hand while holding her sore belly with the other.

“I can’t physically carry a baby to term, so my mother in law agreed to carry her for us,” Jazmyn confesses smiling happily. “Wow! That’s um---,” Max stammers at a loss of adjectives.

“Your turn,” Jazmyn says redirecting the subject. “Who or what are you waiting for,” she asks her hazel eyes intense. “I’m waiting for a friend, he’s being tested to see if he can give me one of his kidneys,” Max says and Jazmyn’s eyes become saucers at this revelation. She opens her mouth to say something when the waiting room door opens. “Mrs. Delarosa, I can take you upstairs now,” says a lanky dark haired male nurse in maroon scrubs.

Nodding at the nurse Jazmyn stands and gathers her belongings. She bends over Max giving him an impulsive hug. “Good luck Max, you and your brave friend will be in my prayers,” she says. “Thanks. Good luck to you and your family as well,” Max says watching the nurse escort Jazmyn out the door toward the elevator leaving him once more to wait alone.