My Dream Man by Marie Solka Page B

straightening around the apartment. It wasn’t cluttered. It just wasn’t spotless like Greg’s place. I figured I’d better make sure it looked good in case he came in.
    I scheduled all my patients early on Friday so I could get off at two. I wanted to rest for a while before getting ready to go out to dinner. Mrs. Myszkowski was the final appointment of the day.
    I began checking her blood pressure. “I followed your advice and it worked,” I said. Hmm…her blood pressure seemed a bit low. I typed the numbers into the laptop.
    “You see,” she said, wagging her finger. “I told you. Aren’t you glad you listened?”
    “I am. And I’m really looking forward to tonight.”
    I checked her pulse, which was normal, and logged it into the computer. Maybe the blood pressure reading had been wrong.
    She watched me as I punched in the info. “Everything’s on the computer these days,” she groaned. “What happened to good old fashioned charts?”
    “They went bye-bye. This is more efficient.”
    “Yeah. Until it all gets lost in a black hole somewhere.”
    “Not a big fan of technology, are you?”
    “Nope. Except my microwave. I love my microwave. Popcorn in three minutes or less.”
    I smiled, listening to her lungs. They sounded as good as could be expected for a woman with emphysema. When I finished she had a concerned look on her face. “You know you shouldn’t sleep with this boy tonight, right?”
    Ordinarily I’d tell her it was none of her business, but since I’d gotten her involved, I let her continue. “If you do he’s not going to marry you,” she warned.
    “Things have changed Anna. It’s not like the old days.”
    “It’s not, huh? Then maybe men have evolved. I wouldn’t bet on that if I was in Vegas, though. Men have been pretty much the same since the dawn of time.”
    I finished checking her vitals and packed my things. I wanted a real relationship with Greg. I did know of a few friends who’d slept with the guy the first date. All of them were still single.
    I valued Anna’s opinion. Following her advice had been right the first time, and my gut told me to listen to her.
    “I’ll take things slow,” I assured her. I hoped I’d be able to keep my word. The way Greg made me feel I wasn’t sure I’d be able to say no.
    “Good girl,” she winked. “Keep him wanting and trying. That’s how this works.”
    I smiled. She was quickly becoming the cool grandma you wish you had – the wise and worldly one who knew all the secrets to relationship success and knew exactly when to share them. “I really appreciate your advice,” I said.
    “If you really meant that I’d be smoking a cigarette right now.”
    “You’d only be smoking a cigarette if I didn’t mean it.”
    She coughed up a half-smile. “I think I might like you better if you didn’t like me so much,” she said.
    “I’ll see what I can do,” I said, offering a sly smile in return. “But in the meanwhile, thanks again.”

Chapter 16
    When I got home I set the alarm, then climbed in bed to take a nap. After a while, I fell asleep, then drifted into a vivid dream.
    It was a wedding dream that began with me walking down the aisle in a white gown, beaming at friends and family who were seated on both sides of the church. When I reached the preacher he shook his head no. Then the joyful wedding song changed to circus music, and as it did the room began to spin. Mrs. Myszkowski was dressed like a clown, her face painted to match. She pointed at me and said, “If you hadn’t been a tramp this wouldn’t be happening.” Mr. Varo sat in the front row next to a row of life-sized robots, wearing a vacant expression. My mom was alone in the front row on the other side, crying. I got dizzy and was about to faint, but Irene the psychic caught me. She pulled me to my feet and said, “I told you so.”
    I woke up and glanced around, happy to discover I was safe in my bed. The mind sure played games when under stress.