Page 18 of Cuffed to my Roomies
“I’ll be ready,” I said.
I couldn’t wait to start. It was a meatier story than I’d expected to get to tackle the research for—I had expected a softball topic like which brand of lip gloss was the least sticky. This, this was exactly what I wanted. A chance to prove I was smart, motivated, and a hard worker.
It was Wednesday afternoon and I had Thursday night off. I could get started before heading to my bartending shift, but the bulk of the work would have to be done on Thursday no matter how late I had to stay. Celia hugged me as I left the office, walking on air.
“You nail your first assignment, and she’ll let you do more. I know this woman,” Celia said.
I texted the guys to let them know about my big chance and found an open computer station I could use. I logged on to the system and started by looking at recent articles in competing publications. Then I hit the major women’s interest web sites for their take and made notes. I wanted to know how much deeper to delve into the topic and what kind of research would set an article apart from the pack. Too soon, I had to take off for my paying job. As I mixed drinks and drew mugs of beer, I smiled automatically, all the while turning over the topic in my head, thinking about different angles and sources.
I was quiet on the way home and the guys picked up on it.
“This is my chance to prove I’m capable of more than just running errands and putting more paper in the copy machine.”
“IUDs though?” Brett said, “All I know is there’s always some commercial on TV about if you got an infection or injury from this thing, call this number. That sounds bad,” he said with a grimace.
“It’s bad publicity, for sure, and it’s not like other medical devices and prescriptions haven’t had lawsuits in the past.”
“Hey, nobody ever had to have their balls cut off from taking Viagra is all I’m saying,” Derek said with a laugh.
“If they did, it sure didn’t end up on the news.”
“Anyway, I’d like to work on it more, but I’m beat. I’m going to sleep. It’s gonna be a late night tomorrow for sure. You guys just figure on me taking an Uber home, don’t worry about guard duty,” I said.
“How late are we talking?” Derek said, “I need my beauty sleep.”
“As long as it takes to finish. The research needs to be summarized, cited and emailed by nine on Friday morning,” I said.
“Makes me tired just thinking about it,” Brett said as he unlocked the door and let me in.
I crashed without even taking a shower. The next morning, I had coffee for breakfast, lots of it, and a powdered donut because I needed energy more than I needed to be smart that day. I was at the office early and deep into reading abstracts of studies published in medical journals. I managed my usual email tasks and errands, knowing I’d have time that evening with fewer interruptions. I could have made the excuse that I was ‘working on something for Liz’ when given a menial job to do, but I didn’t want to be stuck up or try to skip out on my regular intern responsibilities.
I settled in at the computer station after most of the staff left for the night. I kept a file open where I jotted down information from each relevant article with its citation. When I was satisfied with the rigor of my research, when I was sure I had enough information and then some, I tackled what I’d written. I revised and rephrased, put the article summaries in chronological order and starred the ones I thought were most relevant for debunking misconceptions. Then I opened a new document and wrote an overview in case Liz didn’t have time to disseminate eleven pages of medical study summaries. I proofread it and sent both files with the email. I did a happy twirl around the office when I was finished.
I texted the guys to let them know I was done and going to get an Uber.
We r downstairs, Derek replied.
Ok, stalkers, I’m coming, I sent back.
Secretly, I was so grateful for them, and couldn’t help but feel tingly all over at how protective they were of me. When I got downstairs, the truck was idling by the entrance. Brett got out and held the door open. I ran to him and hugged him.
“Thank you. You guys are the best. I don’t know how I got so lucky,” I said into the soapy smell of him, his arm around me. He kissed the top of my head, then picked me up as if I weighed no more than a sheet of paper and swung me into the truck. I giggled.
