Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"Chase!" House shouts, banging his cane against the table. I almost fall out of the chair I'm sitting in. "What do you think of that plan?"
I feel like I'm a kid again and I was just caught daydreaming in class. Cameron and Foreman look like they are trying to supress the urge to laugh. I look at the whiteboard. It's blank. That's no help. "Ummm... Maybe we should discuss other options?" I suggest.
I hear Cameron giggle. "What other options are there?" House asks. I can feel the colour rising in my cheeks. I can't think of any way to save face now.
"House was just telling us that he's going to get lunch. That's all." Foreman says. I feel my face turn redder. The three of them are giggling.
"Right... Well, I'm gonna get something to eat as well." I say, leaving the room quickly.
I breathe a sigh of relief as soon as I get outside. It's a beautiful day. That's why I had been distracted in the conference room. It's the first nice day of the spring season. I close my eyes for a moment and enjoy the way the sun warms my face. I live for days like these.
I had planned to make my way to a coffee shop to pick up a pastry or something, but I decide to just go for a walk. People are jogging, kids are out with their frisbees. People just seem a bit more cheerful. It's been several long months since we've had weather like this. I find a nice grassy area under a tree to sit.
It's days like these that make me miss Australia. Sometimes when I'm alone at night I wonder how I've gotten here. To New Jersey. It seems so absurd when I stop and think about it. When I tell people I'm from Australia, their eyes light up with curiosity. They ask what it's like and they talk about it as if it's almost a magical place that they'll never get to. Most of them will never go. It's just too far away for most people.
I think some of them wonder how I ended up in New Jersey. I sometimes have to convince myself that Jersey isn't that bad. Like the trees changing colours in the fall. Snow is nice, for a little while, until it gets all mushy and gray and dirty in the streets. The best thing about Jersey is that it's about as far away from my past as I can get.
I like this country well enough. The one thing I noticed is that colours seems different here. Natural colours, like the sky, the grass, the trees. Those colours seemed a lot brighter back home. I wonder if it's my imagination or if colours really are different on this side of the Earth.
When the sun is at just the right angle, sometimes the sky looks like the colour I would see at home. Day like these, I can almost forget that I'm in New Jersey. Moments like these, it almost feels like home.
A body sits down next to me. I turn and see Cameron. "What had you distracted before?" She asks.
"I was just thinking about things." I reply.
She looks curious and I sigh. "It's stupid." I say.
Cameron looks around. "You know, when we have weather like this. It always reminds me of the last day of school. My mom would let us stop at the deli on the walk home from school and get an ice pop. That ice pop on the last day of school always tasted better than it did the rest of the year. My sister used to say that it tasted like freedom."
She leans back on her hands. "Sometimes I wonder how I got from a little kid who could taste freedom in an ice pop to the person I am now."
"I was wondering how I went from a kid who spent all his time outdoors to a doctor in Jersey who spends most of his time indoors." I say.
Cameron looks at me and smiles. "I guess this weather has that effect on people."
We spend a few minutes watching the people running and playing. Our beepers go off. "Back to being an adult..." I say lightly. I stand up and then offer my hand to Cameron to help her up. Her hand is cool from being pressed against the dirt and her hair smells like sunshine.
She dusts her hands off and smiles. "Maybe we could start eating out here. Maybe pack a pinic, give us a break during the day. We could try to capture those good feelings from childhood."
I smile. "Well, it is Friday. Maybe after work I can buy you an ice pop. Maybe we can taste some freedom."
Cameron looks at me and smiles. "I'd like that." Her hand reaches out for mines.
The moment fingers intertwine with mine, I'm struck with this overwhelming feeling of home. The colour of the sky and the grass seem to brighten. This feeling is so strong, I half expect to see a kangaroo on our walk back to the hospital.