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Here goes nothing.
I walked up the sidewalk and onto the porch, ringing the doorbell. A man of average height and stocky build answered the door with a smile. I immediately recognized him as Dr. Cooper. He looked just like his picture online. He was shorter than I’d thought he would be, but he exuded a natural masculinity and confidence.
“Willow?” he asked.
“Yes.” I nodded with a smile.
“I’m Ron Cooper,” he said.
He moved to the side, and I walked past him and then paused, waiting until he led me into a large, open concept kitchen and family room. There was a woman inside the room as well. He introduced her as his wife.
“Nice to meet you,” I said.
She had a kind but guarded smile. I could tell she was waiting around to meet me. It felt comfortable there even though I was nervous. I liked that I was not only introduced to the physician offering the job, but also his spouse. It made it a family affair, meeting that way. And I wanted his wife to be comfortable with me too. I wanted her to know she had nothing to worry about if I was hired as his assistant because I was a professional. I worked hard to get my master’s degree to practice medicine. So, even if I was with her husband for long, late hours on the job, she could rest easy, having me around.
Dr. Cooper and I talked about the details of the position after his wife left the room. We would split our time between the clinic and the operating room. I would help see patients in the office and assist him in surgery. I would be the primary person to take calls, but he would be there to back me up at all times.
We discussed salary, and he agreed to pay me twenty thousand more than what I was making at my current orthopedic position, plus bonus potential. And he said that I would get a raise quickly if things went well. I was grossly underpaid in my other job. I was working for a smaller general orthopedic group that took advantage of the fact that I hadn’t learned my value yet.
This job offer sounded like a dream. I left that day with a handshake, excited about the future. It was everything I thought I wanted. I would be working for a respected, well-renowned surgeon, splitting my days between clinic and surgery, taking calls, and working with athletes. I was young. I was green—only two years out of physician assistant school. And I was hungry.
And the next day, I put in my notice at my current position—one I had taken right after graduating from PA school.
My attention is pulled back to the present when I see a herd of elk across a field in the distance. I stop to watch them in their natural habitat. The male is bugling. He already has a dozen or so females in his harem, but apparently, that’s not enough because he’s making the odd, high-pitched sound to attract more. The males are always looking to spread their seed to as many females as possible. It’s funny how animals are so much like the human species.
Fall is mating season. The strongest males collect herds of females, sometimes dozens of them. And then they guard them around the clock, losing weight because they won’t eat as they protect their women. And they mate with each female. It’s the survival of the fittest at its best. We were here one year when National Geographic was filming them. And we got to watch two males challenge each other for a herd. They locked their horns and pushed each other until one of them won. The winner stayed with the female pack, and the loser skulked off into the woods, alone. It was fascinating to witness.
I take a few pictures with my phone and jog back to the house when the chill starts to set in from standing still.
It continues to feel strange, not having a schedule. Every second of every day is usually determined for me. It’s been that way for years now—from college all the way through graduate school. The silence and lack of an itinerary continue to be somewhat unnerving. But as odd as it is, it’s also freeing to finally escape the rat race that has become my life. I can do whatever I want to do, whenever I choose to do it. It makes me feel displaced and at ease, all at once.
After checking in with my parents, I decide to head into town for breakfast and a coffee. I grab a book to keep me company, but I don’t mind eating alone. Somehow, the solitude is nice rather than disconcerting. I don’t feel isolated or lonely here. I just feel calm and content, like I can finally breathe.
I walk to a small coffee shop located in the square that attracts more locals than tourists. It’s known for its great breakfast menu as well. I’m glad most of the visitors choose to frequent the Starbucks around the corner instead, so I can have this place to myself.
I order at the register—the same woman who has worked here the past five summers, Nadia, is manning the front—and then sit in an empty booth to wait. A huge, steaming vanilla latte is set before me a few minutes later, and a plate of pancakes and sausage is placed on the table ten minutes after that.
If you’ve never had pancakes in the mountains before, you’re missing out. I don’t know if it’s the high altitude or what, but the cakes are fluffier and lighter here than they are anywhere else. They literally melt in my mouth, the sticky maple syrup dripping from my fork.
The hinges on the front door creak, and I look over to see a familiar head of shaggy blond hair entering the space.
“Hey, Lo,” Benji says when our eyes meet.
Zane called me by the nickname one or two times yesterday at the falls, and it immediately stuck with the others.
I smile and wave, my mouth currently stuffed full of food. Benji steps up to the counter and orders breakfast, sliding into the booth across from me when he’s done.
“How’d you sleep?” he asks, sipping from the cup of black coffee in his hand.
“Like a baby,” I admit.
The thin mountain air and our long day of swimming wore me out yesterday in the best way.
He glances at my athletic thermal shirt, vest, and leggings. “You been working out?”
“I went for a run earlier.”
“An early riser, huh?” He thanks Nadia when she sets a plate of bacon, eggs, and a huge biscuit in front of him.
