~Chapter 4~
"Oh, hi Jen!" Debbie said as she opened the door. "Come on in."
"Thanks. I was in the neighborhood, so I thought that I would drop off a few things I picked up for Justin. Is he home?"
"No. He went to see a movie with Daphne."
"Oh that's nice. Maybe I'll wait for him to get back."
"Have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?"
"Some water would be great." Debbie filled a glass and brought it over to the table. "Deb, I'm a little bit worried about Justin."
"Me too. I'm glad you brought it up, because I've been meaning to talk to you about the same thing."
"He just seems so out of sorts right now. He seems so exhausted."
"You're telling me. He's been working his little bubble butt off at the diner, and I suggested that he cut back his work schedule, but he won't. He wants the extra cash. When he's not working all he does is sleep. Daphne practically had to drag him out of the house this morning."
"Plus I think he's lost some weight."
"Probably. Every time I give him something to eat he says he's not hungry. He's so skinny as is. He doesn't need to lose any more weight."
"Has he been doing any sketches at least?" asked Jennifer.
"Not that I know of.."
"Then something must really be wrong." It takes a lot to keep him from drawing. Once, when he was little, he stopped drawing for a few days. It turned out that his appendix was about to rupture. He had to have emergency surgery."
"What do you think could be bothering him now?" Debbie asked.
"I'm not sure. At first I thought it was Brian." Jennifer spit out the name like it was a bitter poison. "But now I'm not so sure about that."
"I know what you mean. Every time I ask him what's wrong he just says that he's tired. It's been a week and he doesn't seem to be getting any better despite all the sleep he's been getting."
"I think we need to talk to him before things get any worse."
Jennifer was still there when Justin got home an hour later. After a quick hello to Debbie and his mother, Justin collapsed onto the sofa and through an arm over his eyes to block out the sun that was shining into the room. The ladies moved from the kitchen into the living room and stood over Justin's prostrate form.
"How was the movie?" his mother asked.
"Not bad."
"Where's Daphne?" asked Debbie "I thought she was going to hang out here for the evening."
"She had a date, so she just dropped me off after we were done." Justin replied. He sensed that the women were not going to leave him alone just yet, so he sat up slowly and began massaging his temples.
"What's the matter kiddo?"
"I have a seven aspirin headache." he said. "Have you ever felt like there was a clamp on your head and someone was slowly tightening the screw?"
"That bad?"
"Worse."
"Justin sweetie," his mother said "Debbie and I have been talking, and were both a little bit worried about you.
"Uh-oh. You two have been talking? That mean trouble." Justin smiled feebly. He had a good idea of what was coming next and wanted to avoid that conversation at all costs.
"Smartass. Didn't you hear what your mother said? We're worried about you."
"You don't need to be. I'm fine."
"You're not fine. Anyone can see that." interjected Debbie.
"It's just fatigue. It has been a pretty stressful year."
"I know it has, but that doesn't explain everything. Is this the first day that you've had a bad headache?"
"No."
"How long has this been going on?"
"About three weeks, I guess."
"And are there any other problems we should know about?" Justin hesitated for a moment before he answered.
"Well, I get dizzy whenever I start to stand up, and sometimes my vision goes black for a few seconds."
"Plus you're tired all the time." added Debbie.
"Yeah, that too."
"Okay Justin. I'm afraid that there might be something physically wrong. I think that we should try to get you a doctor's appointment for tomorrow."
"No thank you. I have had enough doctors to last me for one lifetime."
"Don't be stubborn Sunshine. You need to see a doctor if you want to get better. Hell, I understand why you want to avoid it, but you have to think about your health."
"Debbie is right." said Jennifer. "I don't think that whatever it is that is wrong will go away by itself.."
"Can't we give it a little more time before we call a doctor?"
"No Justin. The sooner you go to see someone, the better. They'll just run a few tests to find out what's going on. Then they'll give you a prescription and before you know it, you'll be good as new."
"I have to work tomorrow." said Justin, stalling for time.
"That's okay Sunshine. I've got you covered."
"But I'm really trying to save up as much as possible over the summer so that I don't have to work as much when I have classes."
"I hardly think that missing one day will break your savings plan."
"It will be hard to get there. The bus service is so unreliable." Justin switched tactics.
"Don't worry sweetie." replied Jennifer "I can take you."
"Don't you have to work?"
"No. I'm not showing any houses until the next day.
"You're not going to give up, are you?" asked Justin.
"No!" they replied in unison. Justin looked from one woman to the other. They were so determined sometimes. Justin didn't think that he had enough strength to deal with one mother let alone two. Especially not when those mothers were Jennifer and Debbie, a most potent combination.
"Fine." he relented. "Make the appointment. I'll go."
"Oh, hi Jen!" Debbie said as she opened the door. "Come on in."
"Thanks. I was in the neighborhood, so I thought that I would drop off a few things I picked up for Justin. Is he home?"
"No. He went to see a movie with Daphne."
"Oh that's nice. Maybe I'll wait for him to get back."
"Have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?"
"Some water would be great." Debbie filled a glass and brought it over to the table. "Deb, I'm a little bit worried about Justin."
"Me too. I'm glad you brought it up, because I've been meaning to talk to you about the same thing."
"He just seems so out of sorts right now. He seems so exhausted."
"You're telling me. He's been working his little bubble butt off at the diner, and I suggested that he cut back his work schedule, but he won't. He wants the extra cash. When he's not working all he does is sleep. Daphne practically had to drag him out of the house this morning."
"Plus I think he's lost some weight."
"Probably. Every time I give him something to eat he says he's not hungry. He's so skinny as is. He doesn't need to lose any more weight."
"Has he been doing any sketches at least?" asked Jennifer.
"Not that I know of.."
"Then something must really be wrong." It takes a lot to keep him from drawing. Once, when he was little, he stopped drawing for a few days. It turned out that his appendix was about to rupture. He had to have emergency surgery."
"What do you think could be bothering him now?" Debbie asked.
"I'm not sure. At first I thought it was Brian." Jennifer spit out the name like it was a bitter poison. "But now I'm not so sure about that."
"I know what you mean. Every time I ask him what's wrong he just says that he's tired. It's been a week and he doesn't seem to be getting any better despite all the sleep he's been getting."
"I think we need to talk to him before things get any worse."
Jennifer was still there when Justin got home an hour later. After a quick hello to Debbie and his mother, Justin collapsed onto the sofa and through an arm over his eyes to block out the sun that was shining into the room. The ladies moved from the kitchen into the living room and stood over Justin's prostrate form.
"How was the movie?" his mother asked.
"Not bad."
"Where's Daphne?" asked Debbie "I thought she was going to hang out here for the evening."
"She had a date, so she just dropped me off after we were done." Justin replied. He sensed that the women were not going to leave him alone just yet, so he sat up slowly and began massaging his temples.
"What's the matter kiddo?"
"I have a seven aspirin headache." he said. "Have you ever felt like there was a clamp on your head and someone was slowly tightening the screw?"
"That bad?"
"Worse."
"Justin sweetie," his mother said "Debbie and I have been talking, and were both a little bit worried about you.
"Uh-oh. You two have been talking? That mean trouble." Justin smiled feebly. He had a good idea of what was coming next and wanted to avoid that conversation at all costs.
"Smartass. Didn't you hear what your mother said? We're worried about you."
"You don't need to be. I'm fine."
"You're not fine. Anyone can see that." interjected Debbie.
"It's just fatigue. It has been a pretty stressful year."
"I know it has, but that doesn't explain everything. Is this the first day that you've had a bad headache?"
"No."
"How long has this been going on?"
"About three weeks, I guess."
"And are there any other problems we should know about?" Justin hesitated for a moment before he answered.
"Well, I get dizzy whenever I start to stand up, and sometimes my vision goes black for a few seconds."
"Plus you're tired all the time." added Debbie.
"Yeah, that too."
"Okay Justin. I'm afraid that there might be something physically wrong. I think that we should try to get you a doctor's appointment for tomorrow."
"No thank you. I have had enough doctors to last me for one lifetime."
"Don't be stubborn Sunshine. You need to see a doctor if you want to get better. Hell, I understand why you want to avoid it, but you have to think about your health."
"Debbie is right." said Jennifer. "I don't think that whatever it is that is wrong will go away by itself.."
"Can't we give it a little more time before we call a doctor?"
"No Justin. The sooner you go to see someone, the better. They'll just run a few tests to find out what's going on. Then they'll give you a prescription and before you know it, you'll be good as new."
"I have to work tomorrow." said Justin, stalling for time.
"That's okay Sunshine. I've got you covered."
"But I'm really trying to save up as much as possible over the summer so that I don't have to work as much when I have classes."
"I hardly think that missing one day will break your savings plan."
"It will be hard to get there. The bus service is so unreliable." Justin switched tactics.
"Don't worry sweetie." replied Jennifer "I can take you."
"Don't you have to work?"
"No. I'm not showing any houses until the next day.
"You're not going to give up, are you?" asked Justin.
"No!" they replied in unison. Justin looked from one woman to the other. They were so determined sometimes. Justin didn't think that he had enough strength to deal with one mother let alone two. Especially not when those mothers were Jennifer and Debbie, a most potent combination.
"Fine." he relented. "Make the appointment. I'll go."