Amelia
My head pounded as I made my way to the cafeteria. The lights flickered as another crack of thunder and flash of lightning boomed across the sky.
“Ugh, isn’t it supposed to be snowing?” I whined, coming up beside Charlotte, who had come in today to do some volunteer work for the staff Christmas party.
“You are in luck. It’s in the forecast. Supposed to drop a couple inches by Friday, then it will finally look like Christmas.” She smiled, looking at me. “Another headache?”
“Yeah, I already took some headache medicine, but I’m thinking this one just might be the beginnings of a migraine setting in.”
“Hopefully not. How’s Dalton today?”
I rolled my eyes. “God, he’s impossible. Maybe worse than he was yesterday in the emergency room. Honestly, I don’t know how much more of him I can take. He’s just so…toxic. Did you know he is the only doctor in the entire hospital who hasn’t decorated his office for Christmas? I noticed that this morning when I came in. I feel bad for our patients. Honestly, I’m tempted to bring in some decorations for the desk. You should do the same.”
She smiled. “I worked for someone like that at the last hospital I was at. It’s draining, that is for sure, especially at this time of the year.”
“He’s just so doom and gloom all the time. Doesn’t he know this is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year? He should be singing ‘Jingle Bells’ and smiling all the time. If not for his own peace of mind and mental health, then for the health and wellbeing of our patients. Thank God I have you to laugh with.”
“I know. At least we make our own fun.” She laughed.
I grabbed an apple and placed it on my tray, then an egg salad sandwich and a chocolate bar, followed by a soda.
“Although, we should remember that the holidays aren’t the same for everyone, but I agree the office could use a little holiday spirit,” she said, eyeing the food on my tray. “I haven’t seen you ingest that much sugar in a while, especially with a headache.”
I was normally a healthy eater, but today I was craving junk food. Dalton had tested my patience in more ways than one. Not only was I irritated, but it felt like someone was squeezing my head in a vise, and it didn’t help that I was feeling highly emotional because most of the time my food choices reflected that.
“Yeah, I know. I shouldn’t, but I can’t help it.” I shrugged. “Not today.”
“Try to put a smile on that beautiful face.” She giggled. “I know…it’s that bad.”
“I am,” I said as we both laughed at her last comment, as I looked down at my sugar loaded tray.
We stepped up to the register, and we both paid, then we said our goodbyes and I went and sat down at an empty table in the cafeteria’s corner. I needed to unwind and try to get rid of this headache before I went back to deal with my grump of a boss.
I cracked open my soda, took a bite of my sandwich, and began checking emails when I heard a high-pitched scream. I glanced up to see a young girl standing in the centre of the cafeteria, her hair an absolute disaster, her cheeks red and tear stained.
I frowned, wondering what was going on, and almost immediately I had my answer when she stepped to the side and I saw none other than Dalton sitting at the table. No doubt he was the cause of why she was acting this way.
I rolled my eyes. Dalton was everywhere I was, even in the breakroom. I watched from a distance as the young girl stomped her foot and pointed to her head and started crying. I’d had enough.
Dalton looked panicked as he looked around the room. He didn’t know what to do, and if people weren’t staring, I’d have probably just sat there and watched everything unfold. I was interested to see how the man who caused chaos in my life daily would handle the chaos this young girl was causing him. However, when she screamed again, my head almost exploded, so instead of just sitting there and watching, I got up from my seat and made my way over to where he sat, trying to calm the girl down with no luck.
“Dalton, I couldn’t help but overhear…is there anything I can do to help?” I questioned, looking down at the young girl’s tear-filled eyes.
One look at her told me she must be his daughter, and one look from him told me I was interrupting this special father-daughter bonding moment.
“Not now, ,” he barked, then focused his attention on his daughter.
“Claire, I don’t know what you want me to do about this,” he said back to the young girl who broke down into tears again.
Ignoring his orders like I normally did, I knelt down beside her and turned her toward me before she let out another one of those nails-on-the-chalkboard screeching screams.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” I questioned, looking up into her tear-filled eyes.
She looked at her father first and then at me. Wiping her eyes, she let out a sigh.
“I wanted to get my hair done at the same place my friend went to, but Dad chose the place instead and look at what they did. It’s a disaster. I have a dance tonight, and I can’t go like this. The kids will make fun of me. It’s never gonna look right, and it’s all his fault.”
I glanced over at Dalton, who was watching me. He looked angry that I’d disobeyed him, but he clearly did not know how to fix this issue.
“I don’t think your dad did this,” I said, meeting his eyes.
He shrugged at me.
“He picked the salon.” She sobbed.
I held my hand out toward him, hopefully signalling him to not say anything, as Claire wrapped her arms around me and cried against me.
“It’s okay,” I said, turning my attention back to her. “I could help you if you like. We could head over to the washroom. I have some things in my locker that I can use to fix your hair,” I said.
She lifted her head, and those tear-filled eyes stared back at me. “Really?”
I nodded. “Yep, we can get you looking perfect in no time.” I smiled.
“Can I, Dad?” she asked. “Please?”
Dalton just glared at me, not saying anything.
“Come, sweetheart,” I said, gently placing my arm around her and guiding her toward the locker room. I knew if I gave Dalton time to answer, she’d more than likely have a meltdown. I knew how the man worked. He took pleasure in saying no.
“, she’ll be fine. She’s overreacting,” I heard Dalton say as we walked away.
I ignored him as I heard him call my name again. We continued on to the locker room, where I helped her climb up on the counter before getting my things from my locker. I quickly started working on her hair. Twenty minutes later, I had her cute new hairstyle brushed out and styled.
“Wow!” she said excitedly as she hopped off the counter and glanced at herself in the mirror.
“You like?” I questioned.
“Very much. Thank you, ,” she said, wrapping her arms around my waist. “You should be a hairdresser!”
“You are welcome. Now for one finishing touch. How about a spritz of hairspray?”
The young girl looked up at me. “I’d like that, doubt my dad will.”
I smiled and carefully sprayed her hair with a couple of spritzes. A part of me cheered inside, knowing that Dalton would probably hate it.
“There you go.” I smiled before carefully putting my things back into the small bag I carried them in for emergencies.
The young girl studied herself in the mirror and then turned to me. “Thank you, .”
“You are welcome, Claire. Now, how about we head back to where your father is and you can show him?”
“How did you do this?” she questioned, while I quickly washed my hands.
“Ah, just things you learn as a girl.” I smiled. “You will learn eventually as well.”
Sadness fell over her face as Claire looked in the mirror. “Oh,” she whispered.
“What is it?”
“Did you learn those things from your mom?”
I smiled and nodded. “I did.”
It was then I noticed her eyes watered. “Oh. I wish I had a mom to teach me those things.”
A wave of guilt and shock rolled through me at the same time as I looked down at this little girl, who finally looked up at me and smiled. Was Dalton divorced? Was their mother not a part of their lives? Did she run out on her children? Then I thought back to the other night, at the words I spewed at Dalton, and I swallowed hard, for once feeling guilty at how horrible I’d been in that moment.
“Well, Claire, if you ever need anything, I’d be happy to help you. I work with your dad, so you can always reach me at the office.” I winked.
I opened the door and held it while Claire ran out and right over to Dalton, who was standing across the hall from the women’s locker room. He took a couple of moments with Claire, hugged her, and watched as she ran off toward an older woman who stood there with a young boy.
I smiled as I watched their exchange and then turned to head back to the cafeteria and finish my lunch just as Dalton locked eyes with me. The look in his eyes differed this time from how he normally looked at me. It was softer, lighter, almost as if he were smiling.
I gave him what I was sure was a confused smile. It was almost as if there was now a human component to him for the first time since I’d met him, and I was really unsure how to take it. As we stood there looking at one another, I almost felt as if he were looking into my soul. I swallowed hard, nodded, and walked back to the cafeteria when I heard him call my name.
I stopped and glanced over my shoulder at him.
“, I just want to say, thank you.”
Shock at his words ran through me.
Without another word, he opened the door to the stairwell and was gone. I stood there, not sure what to do or how to accept what had just happened. In those mere seconds, for the first time, I finally glimpsed a completely different man.