Her full birth name was
Hayley Harriet Hanson but that was before, at the tender age of 21, she made
the regrettable decision to marry William Quimby.
After her disastrous
marriage ended though she chose to remain Harriet Quimby as she rather liked
the name.
Her ex-husband on the
other hand remained a complete bastard.
In the years since her
divorce she had not remarried or even thought of doing so.
She worked hard in a
rewarding job, she had a supportive family and she had a large circle of friends,
and she was content with that.
Harriet was not
without admirers however and she had not exactly lived as a nun, she had had
boyfriends but she had not actively sort a replacement for Mr Quimby, her philosophy
was “what will be will be”.
She was a phlebotomist
by profession and proud of it but she was really tired of people saying
“What’s a phlebotomist?”
And then having to
explain her occupation to them, so she made the decision to reply, when asked
what she did for a living, that she was a nurse and volunteered no further
information, it was just simpler that way.
Which was a shame
because she loved her job, and she really was proud to be a phlebotomist, she
liked dealing with people and liked engaging with them and she was good at it.
Some of her colleagues
favoured the stand offish approach, keeping a dignified distance between
themselves and the patients, but that was not Harriet’s way.
Harriet found the
pleasant exchanges helped the day pass by, she couldn’t do it with everyone of
course, some patients thought they were customers and that she was on a par
with a shop girl, but they were few and far between.
Nathan Robinson was
wearing a brown leather jacket and tan needle cords as he sat in the health centre
waiting room amongst the sick and the lame although he was neither.
He was 35 years old
and never married, although he’d come close a couple of times, he was medium
height, slim build and had thinning sandy hair and grey eyes.
He was however very nervous
as he was waiting there for a blood test, not that he was squeamish where blood
was concerned but he hated needles.
“Mr Robinson” called a
willowy young woman with bobbed dark brown hair, wearing a white uniform with
red piping.
He stood up and followed
her into a small clinical room.
“Good morning nurse”
he said
“Hello Mr Robinson,
but I’m not a nurse”
“Hello doctor?”
“No I’m not a doctor
either” she corrected him
“You’re not the
cleaner are you?” he asked
“No” she said laughing
“A vampire then?” he asked
“Don’t worry I’m not
going to drain you” she reassured him “You look too pasty already”
“Really, I thought I
was palely interesting” he offered in a hurt voice
He looked at her hand,
she wasn’t wearing a wedding ring or any other significant rings for that
matter, but what he was focusing on was that her ring less hand was holding a
needle and he swallowed hard.
“You’re afraid of
needles” she said
“I wouldn’t say I was
afraid” he responded defensively although in truth he was Trypanophobic.
“What would you say
then?” She asked
“I am merely wary of
them” he insisted.
“Chicken” she said
unsympathetically, she was well used to needle phobe’s and her easy manner and
playful teasing would soon put him at his ease.
“Harsh” he responded
still focusing on the needle
“Now if you don’t sit
still I’ll have to take it from your jugular” she said menacingly
“So you are a vampire”
Nathan said
She ignored him and drew
the first sample
“So what’s the blood
test for?” She asked
“Are you allowed to
ask me that?” he asked
“No” she replied “so
what’s it for?”
“I have an infection”
“Urgh” she exclaimed
feigning horror
“Not that kind of
infection” he assured her
“Do I need to double
glove?” she asked
“No it’s alright I don’t
really have an infection” Nathan said
“Good” she said and
drew another sample
“It’s just part of a
general medical” he said
“Oh” she said
After he’d left the
room she chuckled to herself as she remembered their exchange and she thought
he was a very pleasant man.
Nathan was quite taken
with the young willowy phlebotomist with her bobbed dark brown hair, wearing a
white uniform with red piping, he always liked a uniform.
He was only there for
a routine blood test but because he was Trypanophobic he was very nervous.
But she was clearly well
used to needle phobe’s and her easy manner and playful teasing soon put him at
his ease when she called him a chicken and he called her a vampire.
All of which put his
mind at rest to such a degree that he was able to take a moment or two to appreciate
the loveliness of the lovely girl with the very large needle.
It was just over a
week later when she saw him again.
Nathan was on his way
to meet friends in Abbeyvale, and took a short cut through St Candida’s park as
it was a nice day and he saw a small group of young women sitting on the grass
and he recognised one of them.
“Hello nurse
Nosferatu” he called and made the sign of the cross when she turned around
“Oh hello chicken” she
responded and made it sound like a term of endearment which wasn’t her intent
but was not unhappy about it.
“Should a phlebotomist
be out in the sunlight?” Nathan asked
“What’s a phlebotomist?”
one of the group asked and Harriet shook her head and took it as her sign to
leave.
She said her goodbyes
and quickly caught up with Nathan who had gone ahead.
“Thanks for that” she
said
“For what?” he asked
“For exposing me as a
phlebotomist” she said
“Ay?” he exclaimed in
confusion
“But you are a phlebotomist”
“I know” she said “but
I hate the fact that I always have to explain it”
“Sorry” Nathan said
“So what was your
medical for?” Harriet asked him as they walked through St Candida’s park
“Blimey you’re even
nosey when you’re off duty” Nathan responded
“Yes” Harriet replied
“So what’s it for?”
“Oh I’m starting a new
job next month so I decided I would get a full MOT before I started” he said
“And what do you do?”
she asked
“I’m a University
Professor” he said proudly
“A professor?” Harriet
replied however she was a little impressed
“Aren’t you a little
young?”
“Not in my field” he
replied
“I thought professors
were intelligent” she said
“And I thought nursing
was the caring profession” he retorted
“So what are you the
professor of?” she enquired
“Music” Nathan replied
“Really, what kind?”
she asked impressed
“My field of expertise
is early 20th century” he replied
“Like Puccini?” She
said hopefully
“Like jazz” Nathan
said
“Jazz? How disappointing,
you got interesting for a second and then wham dull as ditch water again”
“I like jazz” he said
defensively “Jazz is very exciting”
“And people study that
at university?” she asked derisively
“Of course, as part of
a rounded curriculum” he replied
“Do you play or just
teach?” she asked
“Yes” Nathan replied
“What instrument? The
washboard?” She asked and laughed out loud with delight
“That’s skiffle, not
jazz” he corrected her “Philistine”
“What then?” Harriet
persisted
“Clarinet” Said Nathan
“Really? But that’s a
proper instrument” she said shocked “Are you any good?”
“Well I enjoy playing”
he answered
“You’re really bad
then” Harriet said and laughed
“Why not come and
judge for yourself” he said
“When?” she asked
“Now” he replied
“we’re playing a set at the Jazz Shack on Finchampton Street”
“Ok” she answered
After the gig, if you
could call it that, because they only played two numbers, he joined her at her
table.
“You were very good”
she said “better than you led me to believe”
“Well thank you ma’am”
he said in a false American accent
“But I still don’t
like jazz” she said shooting him down
When it was time to go
he said
“Perhaps we can do it
again”
“Oh I don’t know about
that” Harriet said
“Why not? I thought we
had spent a very pleasant afternoon together” he stated
“We have absolutely nothing
in common” Harriet retorted
“We share a sense of
humour” he said
“That doesn’t count”
she responded
“I think a good sense
of humour is essential in a relationship if there is a prospect of someone seeing
me naked” Nathan replied
“That’s not much of a
prospect” Harriet said
“Come on Harriet” he
said “what harm could it do”
Harriet was quiet for
a moment then she said
“Ok I will come with
you to the Jazz Shack to hear you play again, on one condition”
“Name it” he said with
enthusiasm
“You have to come to
the opera with me”
He went to speak but
she silenced him with a look
“And I don’t mean
Gilbert and Sullivan either”
“Puccini’s Madame
Butterfly, one of the greatest pieces of early 20th century music ever written”
she said with authority
“It’s a date” he said
“Yes I suppose it
is" she said almost to herself
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