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Chapter Two – Addy

I was in the midst of watering the plants in the outer office when the bell above the door chimed. I looked up to see a man carrying a little boy in his arm. Panic was written all over his face.

“Can I help you?” I said, setting down the watering can. I was wearing one of dad’s old physician’s jackets; I had hoped to transplant some of the plants in the office and prepare them for winter. The jacket was my idea of dirt repellent.

“My son has a wrecking ball stuck up his nose,” the guy explained. He had dark, almost black hair with an immaculate moustache and goatee. The little boy’s blonde head turned towards me; he smiled.

“I’ve got one nosey-troll,” he said, pointing to the nostril that was unobstructed. I smiled.

Now usually I would have explained that my dad, the town doctor, was out tending to Lois Walker’s bum knee and would be back shortly; but somehow I figured I could take care of a nose obstruction without risk of killing anybody. I opened the door to the exam room.

“Bring him back here,” I said. The man walked into the room behind me, setting his little boy on the metal exam table.

“What’s your name, sweetheart?” I asked the little boy.

“Mason Wichardson,” he said. He glanced over at his dad.

“I’m Kevin.”

I smiled. “I’m Addy Selinski.”

Mason’s nose was beginning to swell. I walked over to the table where my dad kept all of his tongue depressors, cotton swabs, and Band-Aids and grabbed a Kleenex. I walked back over and pressed the Kleenex tightly against Mason’s unobstructed nostril.

“Okay Mason,” I said. “I want you to blow your nose as hard as you can on the count of three. One…two…three.”

He gave a mighty blow that would have impressed the largest elephant. Like a rocket, the plastic wrecking ball flew out of his nose and hit the wall. It rolled to a stop at Kevin’s feet.

Mason thought it was the coolest thing ever; he gave a clap and giggled.

“Again!”

“Oh no,” Kevin said. He picked him up and gave him a hug.

“Thank you Dr. Selinski.”

“What did I do?”

I turned to see my dad standing in the doorway. He was a large guy, his frame filled up the doorway. His large belly, white beard, and sparkling blue eyes made him a well-loved figure in town. Mason obviously felt the same way.

“SANTA!” he called out happily.

I couldn’t help but laugh; my dad chuckled as he walked into the room. He held out his hand to Kevin. Kevin shook his hand; he looked confused.

“I’m Dr. Selinski,” my dad said. Kevin’s eyes darted over to me.

“This is my daughter Abby Selinski.”

“You’re not a doctor?” he said. I felt his gaze harden in annoyance.

“I never said I was,” I said lightly. He tightened his grip on Mason.

“So you just performed a medical operation on my son and you’re not a licensed doctor?” he said, his voice rising slightly.

It was my dad’s turn to look confused; he glanced my way.

“Mason had a plastic toy stuck up in his nose. I don’t think I need a PhD to ask a kid to blow his nose,” I retorted defensively.

“Did the toy come out?” my dad asked, directing his attention back to Kevin. He nodded reluctantly.

“Well, since you’ve come all this way for an actual doctor, why don’t I take a look and make sure that there’s no ruptured blood vessels or anything,” my dad said kindly.

He knew as well as I did that there wasn’t any rupture. I folded my arms across my chest as Kevin sat Mason back down. My dad shone his penlight up each nostril. Kevin glared at me, I narrowed my eyes.

The good-looking guys were always the worst.

“He seems fine,” my dad said. He shook Kevin’s hand again. “I’m sorry for the mix-up. This one’s on the house.”

Kevin picked Mason up again. “Thank you,” he said quietly.

“Are you new in town? I haven’t seen you around here before.”

“Mason and I are staying at the cabin on the outskirts of town for a few weeks,” he answered with what I thought was a little bit of reluctance.

“That fishing cabin?” my dad laughed. “I’ve seen those boys when they come up from Lexington for summer. I hope you fumigated that place before you let this little guy loose.”

Kevin gave a weak smile. “Yes, sir.”

After a few more minutes of chit-chat, Kevin and Mason left. My dad turned to me, smiling.

“Good work on the patient Dr. Selinski,” he teased. I scowled and returned to the outer office to continue taking care of the plants. He followed me.

“You know, if you gave yourself half a chance you would make a good doctor,” my dad said gently.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I said. I pulled a few browning leaves off of one of the plants. I felt him come up beside me.

“How’s Lois?” I asked. Dad handed me the watering can and I continued my previous task.

“It’s just her knee. She needs surgery, but she refuses to go to Lexington. She’s a stubborn eighty year old lady. What else is new?”

I smiled. “I highly intend to be just as stubborn as her when I’m eighty.”

“You’re already that stubborn.”

“Hey!”

My dad drifted back to the office; I started my transplanting.

The sun had completely disappeared and I was covered from head to toe as I patted the soil tightly around the last plant. My dad peeked out of the office.

“You’re still here?” he said. I wiped my black hands on the coat.

“I just finished,” I said. I smiled proudly at my work. I had inherited my mom’s green thumb.

He walked out of the office, locking the door behind him.

“Let’s go home,” he said. “I feel like a bologna sandwich and some TV.”

I followed him out of the office and down the street, shaking my head. Every night was the same; he always felt like a bologna sandwich and TV. And he always fell asleep in front of the TV. And I always covered him with the blanket that my nana had made him when he graduated med school.

I was thirty-two years old and many would say that I lived a boring life. I disagreed. I had a safe life, a routine. I had already had a taste of the rest of the world and I had gotten hurt.

It wasn’t going to happen again.