Island Med Student

She awoke in the morning to the sounds of birds chirping outside her window. A quick glance at her clock revealed that it was only 6:00 a.m., too early to arise from bed on her day off from work. But the sounds of her rustling the covers awoke her black and white companion. He launched himself from the sofa onto her bed, under the covers and into her arms. She allowed him to nestle into her as she caressed his soft fur. After a few minutes of this loving interaction she realized that she was now fully awake.

Might as well get out of bed now.

She prepared her morning coffee, as she does every day: using the exact same proportions of coffee grounds to water, and sugar to milk. As she sipped her coffee and stared out the window at the sun rising on the horizon she was exhilarated by the realization that it was going to be a wonderful day away from the hospital.

The weather did not disappoint her. The temperature quickly rose to almost 60 degrees Fahrenheit and the glistening sun filled the cloudless sky.

It was going to be a good day.

After saying farewell to her partner, she looked around at her apartment for something to occupy her now empty hands. Two projects proved to be challenging, but oh so rewarding. Sewing a button onto her gray “work pants” and using needle-nosed pliers to fix a bead imbalance on a pair of earrings served to fulfill her perpetual need for accomplishment.

The day was progressing well, but the need for the warmth of sunlight and external stimulation compelled her. She fastened the leashes onto her energized, furry lovers and made her way out into the city. As she scooped up the warm piles of feces, she commented to herself how happy it made her to take care of animals in need, and she realized how caring for them extrapolated out to including anyone in need.

After a shower and preparations, she again exited her apartment, but this time for purely selfish reasons. As she listened to the melodic sounds of Bob Marley on her iPhone, she couldn’t help but allow the contagious facial muscles on her face to elevate her lips. She thought to herself about how the grin on her face seemed to affect the passersby, and that forced the grin to exaggerate to an obscene level.

All too quickly she arrived at her destination: a dilapidated store on Broadway Avenue, run entirely by Vietnamese immigrants. After “picking a color,” she was seated and proceeded to roll her jeans up to her knees. As she soaked her feet in the warm water and bubbles, her reasons for visiting this establishment were mentally affirmed. A young Vietnamese man wearing a surgical face mask and latex gloves greeted her from below.

She exposed her feet.

As he removed the previous nail polish from her toes she mused about how incredibly ugly her feet were. Large, misshapen, always calloused from compulsive running, and too wide to fit into most “cute” shoes. But it barely phased her. The thoughts were quickly replaced by the waves of relaxation and pleasure brought on by someone else’s pampering. She gave in to his magic, allowing his small, strong hands to massage away all the stress and tension that miles of running had built up in her feet.

She exited the salon in pure ecstasy, ready to take on the world.

Once home, she again leashed up her dogs, loaded film into her Holga camera, carefully placed her headphones and extraordinarily large sized sunglasses around her ears, and made her way out into the city of Brooklyn.

One mile turned into two, and two turned into four. She allowed the pure bliss of the sun caressing her shoulders, music reverberating through her tympanic membrane and sensation of her feet against the sidewalk to carry her into another dimension. She barely noticed the remarks of the people she passed on the street. The construction workers’ catcalls drifted by her like invisible smoke.

And then fate intercepted her journey. A well-Yelped restaurant met her visual field. It had outdoor seating as well. Perfect for today.

After tying her dogs to a pole, she went inside and gave into temptation. A glass of Bordeaux and a plateful of New England mussels would fulfill her wildest palatal desires.

She sat outside on the patio in the warmth of the sun, her black and white furry companion on her lap, and her brown one at her feet. She savored every last drop of the wine and even chewed the raw oysters for the first time, so that she could make the moment last even longer. People walking by were barely visible, as she was blinded by her own ecstasy.

The three mile walk home was an artistic orgasm. She snapped photos on her manual film camera with wild abandon. So what if the film was incredibly expensive, there was art to be made! Photographic opportunity after photographic opportunity filled her path. And she was not shy about capturing every last pixel of it.

Once home she contemplated her day’s journeys. Yes, today WAS a good day. But not because of all the externalities and environmental adventures. She had allowed herself to create a good day.