by Tiana Laveen
“Mmmm… I see. Well, actually—”
“They’re eating brains out here, man! San Diego is under attack. You must help! You and you alone can put a stop to this! Only a magazine about measles will bring this mayhem to an end! That’s all I need, and then the public will be spared! Together, we can do it! Just you and me, baby!” She giggled, unable to control herself.
You ridiculous bastards! How’d you like a real nut job on your hands, huh? I’ve had it with your shit. TAKE THAT!
“Oh… well, uh… I see… I am sorry that you are concerned about measles but uh, no… I’m not selling measles magazines, Dr. Delaney. In fact, I’m not selling anything. You see, I was asked to give you a call. My name is Dr. Vangelis Alexopoulos. I’m your brother’s doctor. Leonard thought I may be of benefit to you but from the sound of things, I uh… I’m just not so sure that I can give you the help that you need.”
“Oh no…” Sahara placed her fingers against her lips and shook her head as she burned with unsurmountable embarrassment. “Oh God… I am so sorry! It was all a joke! I didn’t mean any of it. I was trying to come across as crazy.”
“Well, I think that mission was accomplished.” He chuckled, and though she was mortified, she couldn’t help but smile.
“This is just my luck! See, what had happened was, telemarketers keep calling my doggone phone and driving me absolutely crazy, and the one time I decide to mess with them, to strike back, this happens!”
“It’s okay,” the man said lightly. “I must admit, you had me going. If it’s any consolation, I happen to enjoy zombie movies, Big Foot theorists and television programs about UFOs and wouldn’t mind a magazine about measles, either… Could be rather interesting. Anyway…” She smiled at his words and shook her head, grateful he was being such a good sport. “Did I catch you at a bad time?”
“No, it’s fine, actually. I just got home and this is a good time to chat.”
I’m going to kill Leonard! Damn you!
“Perfect. Well, first of all, your brother is a great guy but I’m sure you already know that.”
“Yeah, he’s a real amazing man!” she stated as she gritted her teeth and made her way up the steps towards her kitchen.
“He has brought you up many times during small talk, but yesterday he told me that you were having some problems with pain management in your leg after a car accident. Is that correct?”
She reached for her stainless steel refrigerator handle and opened it. The cool air rolled out as she looked in the produce bin, hell bent on finding a nice Red Delicious apple to bite into. Those were her favorite kind.
I should have a couple left…
“So much for patient confidentiality,” she joked. Only Dr. Alexopoulos didn’t seem amused as she discovered by his radio silence. “Uh, anyway, yes, that’s true. I had a car accident but still struggle a bit with this strange, shooting pain that occurs in my right leg every so often. I’ve been to several neurologists. I’ve had a multitude of tests ran and at this point, I am out of options.” She shrugged.
“I refuse to take heavy pain medications long term. I did that the first year and there were too many side effects for my liking. I felt loopy sometimes and out of sorts. So, I have seen what that can do and before it got any worse, I weaned myself off. I need to be able to manage the pain, that’s a simple fact, but the daily Advil is just not cutting it, either.”
She spotted an apple and realized he had stopped talking. Then she heard a slight sound from the other end…
He’s writing… not typing, but writing. Interesting.
“Okay…” the man stated after a brief silence. “So, I do have many different options for situations such as yours, but of course I would need to have an in depth consultation with you and we’d go from there. Would you be interested in coming into my office?”
“Do you want me to be honest, Dr. Alexopoulos?”
“Of course I want you to be honest but first of all, I don’t want you to call me that anymore. You’re a doctor, too. Just call me by my first name, Vangelis.”
“Okay, and you can do the same for me as well. Now, this is totally off topic, but I love your first name! Vangelis… nice. I take it you’re Greek?”
“Yes, I am. My paternal great grandparents were immigrants from Thessaloniki. My maternal grandparents were already living here in California. We’re Greek through and through.”
“Cool, okay! You know, my best friend in undergrad was Greek. She used to always make me baklava… those were the days! She totally spoiled me.”
“Let me tell you, Sahara, you’ve not had good baklava until you’ve had my mother’s. No one can beat hers. But, in order for you to try a piece, you have to come into my office and see me. It’ll be there… waiting for you.”
“Ohhhh! You’re good! I see what you did there!” She cackled.
Slick man! She was duly impressed.
“Of course! See, this doctor life is art and science combined.” She could hear the smile in his voice. “Find out what the reluctant patient likes and offer a bribe… kind of like you probably do with children screaming about getting a much needed shot. There’s a lollipop with their name on it, right?”
“Yes indeed, though today’s children expect toys that require batteries. They drive a hard bargain! I refuse to pay them with an iPad, I’d go broke, but I have found that buying little toys in bulk online has done wonders!”
The two kept hamming it up like this for a while longer, and much to her surprise, an entire ten minutes had passed without her even noticing until it was far too late. Sahara now lounged on the side of her bed, holding an apple she’d eaten to the core as she smacked in the poor man’s ear and discussed every damn thing except her fucked up leg.
He was so easy to talk to—laid back, yet professional…
No wonder Leonard likes him. I can see why now.
“Okay, Vangelis, I’m sold. I will come in. My schedule is pretty tight this week, but how about next Tuesday?”
“Neeeext Tuesday…” he said, no doubt checking his calendar. “Next Tuesday is booked. I do have one opening on Wednesday, the following day, at 1:15 P.M. Are you able to make it?”
She scrolled through her calendar on her phone and took another bite of the apple, whatever was left of it.
“Looks like I can move one of my appointments around. Yes… that’s fine.” She swallowed. “1:15 P.M. it is. Where are you located? I’m in La Mesa. Well, I live in La Mesa but I work at Rady hospital. I’d be leaving from work.”
“My office is in Encinitas, so I’m about thirty or so minutes away from you. I can text you the address. Would that be helpful?”
“Okay, yes, that would be fine.”
“All right, perfect! I will see you next Wednesday. I look forward to meeting you, Sahara. I like your name by the way, too. Very pretty, unique too.”
“Thank you.” She played with a curl in her hair that had escaped her wooden turtle hair clip. “Yeah, see you next Wednesday.”
“In the meantime, I suggest you going to the health food store and picking up some Turmeric Curcumin capsules. I would be remiss to allow you to suffer an entire additional week while you wait for your appointment. It will more than likely not alleviate all of your pain, but it will get you started by working on your blood flow in your legs and helping to quicken the repair process, or at least not allow further deterioration of any nerve damage you sustained.
“You know, I read about that but just figured it was the latest gimmick. It’s been in all the health journals, but sometimes I take those articles with a grain of salt. I’ve tried so many things and nothing has really helped. Just being honest… Hmmm, so it really works, huh?”
“Many of my patients with neuropathy issues, as well as those prone to blood clots, swear by it.”
“Okay!” She smiled. “I will pick some up then. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Talk with you soon.”
And then, he ended the call. Saha
ra replayed the conversation in her mind.
He had a really nice voice… deep and soothing. I like his laugh, too. Very easy going. Hmmm, interesting. She tapped her chin as she contemplated then sat up on the bed and tossed her apple core into the nearby bedroom trashcan. Picking up her phone once again, she made another call.
“Heeeey, lady! I had a—”
“Shut your big mouthed ass up! Didn’t I tell you about trying to interfere in my life, Leonard?! You made me completely embarrass myself!”
“Sahara, what the hell are you talking about?” her brother asked lazily, chasing his question with a forced yawn. “And whatever happened, I can tell you right now that it was your fault and not mine. Stop tryna pass the buck.”
“Oh believe me, it was definitely your fault. It all started when I thought it was a telemarketer and tried to be funny on the phone, but it wasn’t funny and it wasn’t a telemarketer! One guess—who do you think it was?” She placed her hand on her hip.
“Lil Duval singing, ‘Livin’ Your Best Life?’ Ain’t goin’ back ’nd forth with you, niggas!” He chuckled. “Yeaaah! Livin’ yo’ best damn life, huh?!”
“Stop playing with me, Leonard! You told some doctor to call me! Now I have to go in for an appointment!”
“Hot damn! He got cha!” The man cackled. “He’s a persuasive son of a bitch, isn’t he? Greek magic! He sounds like some damn radio disc jockey, don’t he?… Dis is Easy 102.3, playin’ you tha dope Greek mythology jams from the 70’s, tha 80’s, and tha 90’s! On the relaxation tip. So grab ya girl and get close while I lay down these silky tracks, olive pickin’ style.”
“Shut up.”
“Don’t be mad because he used his smoooooth European bedside manner to get your butt in there. We’re all tired of you acting anti-doctor all of a sudden, when you’re a doctor yourself. You are the one that got on me about not goin’ to the doctor and taking better care of myself; now you wanna act like you can’t take your own advice. The whole family is sick of you, Sahara.”
“They’re sick of you, too. They’re just too afraid to tell you but I sure as hell am not.”
“Come on, girl! You used to be so full of life, so fun loving. Now you try to act like you’re fine but your face is tense half the time because of the pain. I did it because I care. Somebody had to save ya from yourself… may as well have been me! Superman to the rescue again. Smile, bitch! Smile, bitch! Come on!”
“You ain’t shit… and you tried to sing those song lyrics like it was you not callin’ me a bitch right now. You aren’t slick.” She laughed as she rubbed the bottoms of her feet.
“I would never call you a bitch. Now, a pain in the ass? Hell, yes! That’s what big brothers are for. Anyway, so when do you go in?”
“Next Tuesday. I mean, next Wednesday.”
“All right, bet. Well, some of us have to work for a living instead of playing with cute, snotty nosed babies all day!” he teased. “You got cooties. Don’t forget to wash your hands twenty times. Those little kids are nasty… diggin’ all in their noses and asses for tha fuck of it. I gotta get back on the floor.”
“What sweet words… they’re babies and they’re precious.”
“Shiiiid. I ain’t rushin’ to have any. That’s for damn sure. They’re precious from a distance. You always loved kids. You were one of the only people in the neighborhood that would babysit for practically free. I’ll call you later, alright?”
“Okay, I love you and I’ll talk to you later.”
“Love you too. Oh, Pop said give him a call. He wants you to list that other boat for sale on eBay for him. He’s not using it and at this point, it’s just rotting. May as well make some cash off the shit.”
“I swear, if Dad doesn’t take his behind somewhere and take a computer course! I am so tired of listing his wares.”
“Hey, he knows you’ll do it so he has no motivation to do it himself. Ms. Care-Taker herself to the rescue!”
“Thank you, Leonard… always there to get another dig at my character.”
“It was a compliment actually, depending on how you look at it. I do like messing with you though. It’s what I do best to my bratty, stubborn ass little sister and best of all, it was free of charge!”
The man cackled before disconnecting the line. She shook her head, sighed and got to her feet. Making her way to her master suite bathroom, she turned on the faucet of the jacuzzi tub and let it fill up a few inches before tossing in a few Mango scented bath bombs. She poured in some strawberry bubble bath and debated on grabbing a glass of wine. As she undressed, her breath caught in her throat.
“Shit!” She gritted her teeth as the pain raced through her like a bolt of lightning.
Reaching low, she rubbed on her calf, the pain tight and excruciating. Wincing, she took a few deep breaths until it passed. Moments later, she found herself neck deep in bubbles, daydreaming about cruises she wished to take and exotic vacations she was yet to have… anything to float away from reality, at least for just a moment in time…
CHAPTER THREE
Mind, Body, and Soul
“I do,” Vangelis stood in the middle of his office and glanced at his watch. “A new patient is coming in today.”
“Well, that’s not a problem, sweetie. This won’t take long.”
Mom always said those words to him and then he’d find himself racing to get her off the phone.
“Mom, I really—”
“You don’t love me anymore! You never call me back when you say you will. One day I will be dead and gone, Vangelis!”
“Mom, cut it out. You sound like Yiayia now.”
“I don’t sound like your grandmother, but if she said it, she’s right! You know what? You’re a pain in the ass. Now listen, just five minutes, okay?” He knew that wasn’t a question. It was a lie attached by a loose string to an iron-clad demand. With a sigh, he slumped in his desk chair. “So, Cristana turned thirty last week and I asked when she was getting married. I mean, her eggs aren’t getting any younger. She tells me she doesn’t want to get married! That she’s traveling abroad! Tsk! Tsk!”
He could almost see his mother wringing her hands. He shook his head.
“So, what do you think of that, Vangelis?! A woman traveling around like that, unmarried?”
“Mom, traveling is good. What’s wrong with that? It expands your horizons and not everyone is in a hurry to get married, okay? It doesn’t make any of us less happy. I’m thirty-six, enjoying life, but you—”
“Don’t remind me! You’re a doctor! Handsome! No wife, no children! Thank God your brothers didn’t follow in your footsteps. Demetrius married at twenty-two. Nicos at twenty-three. Here you are, the oldest, still wandering the Earth like a vagabond! Speaking of living by the seat of one’s pants, oh my gosh, have you seen Kisa? Skinny ass! She’s supposed to be three months pregnant and has been at the gym six times a week and won’t eat any rice or pasta. Said she’s vegan now, too. She’s gonna kill the damn baby, Vangelis!”
“Mom, I really—”
“If she kills my grandbaby, I’m gonna make ’er have the baby, hand the kid to me, then murder her! That woman has driven me crazy since day one. I didn’t want them to get married.”
“Yes, I know, even though Kisa is a very nice woman. She’s well educated and loves my brother. I would think those were pluses.”
“Pluses and too many minuses leave a deficit! Do you know what her biggest problem is?!” Yup. You… “Kisa doesn’t listen… Ms. Independent woman so she says. Do you know I made dolmades last night and she didn’t eat not one of them? Not one, Vangelis!”
“Oh… the horror,” he mumbled as he facepalmed himself, dragging his features down and praying that the call would suddenly end due to a strike of lightning, a fluke storm that would knock the woman’s power out. Mom rarely used her cell phone. She was old school.
“Don’t be a smart ass, Vangelis! This is serious! Oh, before I forget, do you want me to stop by and do your laundry?
”
He sucked his teeth and rocked back and forth in his chair. This question was asked at least once a month. His mother’s obsession with all of her sons’ laundry he could not wrap his mind around.
“Mom, I don’t need you to do my laundry, okay?”
“I saw your shirts had shrunk, and that one white shirt you wear, you know, the one with the blue and green stripes, had bled into the lighter areas. Now it’s no longer white. It’s like a mint green and sky blue. You don’t know how to wash your clothes, honey…” Her voice trailed at the end like it was some great woe she’d laid at his feet, proof of his inadequacy as a man.
“I like mint green and sky blue. Those are nice colors,” he teased.
“You need to stop by for dinner. You’re getting skinny again. Anyway, back to that emaciated daughter-in-law of mine! The woman is on a starvation diet, Vangelis. Can’t you tell ’er it’s not healthy? Talk some sense into her?”
“I’m not interfering in Demetrius’ marriage, Mom. If he felt like his wife was endangering his child, I’m sure he’d say something.”
Mom loudly sucked her teeth.
“Your brother acts like he’s scared of his own wife. Ridiculous! Who diets while pregnant?!”
“Mom, Kisa has been vegan for over a year. She’s not dieting.”
“She is! You should see her! Tell ’er it’s not healthy to be vegan while pregnant. The baby needs meat and milk.”
“Actually, no. What the baby needs is a protein source and calcium, which he or she can get from many different—”
“I don’t wanna hear it! A bunch uh crazy talk outta your mouth. You and your little Mary Jane cigarettes ya prescribe and all that crazy talk about herbs and lettuce. Want something green to stuff in your mouth? Make uh salad for God’s sake! Don’t let them roll up those mind altering drugs, alright? You went to medical school for what?! Musta been clown school… big red nose and floppy shoes! I tell you what, Van, clown school is too expensive! I demand a refund if this is the result!”
