The Dentist: Chapter Five.
"The scars remind us that the past is real. I tear my heart open just to feel." -Papa Roach, "Scars."
Piccolo rose the next morning with a smile on his face. He blinked and looked around, the grin quickly fading. It had only been a dream. Always just a dream. He tossed off the covers and swung his legs over the side of his bed, yawning. Luckily his first appointment wasn't until ten this morning, so he didn't really need to rush. He got up and sulked to the bathroom, taking a hot shower quickly before getting dressed. He forgot to put the coffee on, but he didn't really care. He was going to learn how to make better coffee first. He looked outside and glared at the blinding snow. He was beginning to feel the side-affects of the previous night, staring with a throbbing headache. He wished he had just gone with his brother and gotten away from this winter season. Still, it was better than the spring, when his allergies took hold of him and viciously attacked his nose and eyes.
At least around Christmas time business slowed down. People went away for the holidays, or had guests, leaving essentially no time for check-ups and fillings. He sighed and moved away from the window. He rummaged around his kitchen and found an egg in the fridge. He remembered Nail told him that swallowing a raw egg with some other spices helped hangovers. He decided to try it now, though he knew he would probably regret it. Still, he had a root canal scheduled for today, and he should be as sober as possible.
A few hours later he sat in his chair, taking some pain reliever for his migraine. The egg trick had really only succeeded in making him ill. He didn't know how Nail pulled that off during high school. He sighed and rubbed an ear, having heard somewhere that it was a pressure point or something and relieved tension.
It didn't.
He sighed and rested his head on his desk. The last time he had felt this hung-over was after Nail's third bachelor party. He grimaced as he forced himself to sit up, remembering that he had another appointment in a few minutes. He poured himself a cup of coffee and stared out his window. Cars were rushing past at an alarming speed, once again. People had places to go, and didn't overly concern themselves with the troubles of others. Which was why he thought Sarah was so odd. What did she care if he was miserable? Given, he also wouldn't want a depressed dentist working on his teeth. Still, he wouldn't go to the extreme of trying to help the problem. He bit his lip, trying hard not to smile.
The kid wasn't your average girl. Her humor was dry and far more mature than her sixteen years permitted, although her stature didn't reflect it. In so many ways, he wished that he could just deal with things like she said she wished she could. She had told him she worried and paced about things, and made herself sick that way. But she said she should really just see that there really is no point in all that, and just be happy that she has her health and friends.
"God made our relatives. Thank God we can choose our friends."
How true the statement was. Piccolo's sire wasn't what most people would call 'father of the year.' He thought wryly of what it would be like to have a mother, but recalled Sarah's brief of moms.
Mostly, they just tell you to stop playing video games and watching TV and get some homework done. That and eat more greens. Still, they are nice to have around when your friends are acting like dumb asses. You turned out ok without one though, so don't sweat it.
Piccolo often felt so helpless that he became over-whelmed and depressed that he couldn't take it. But the girl told him how she often had those feelings, when she dwelled upon her own unhappiness. She concluded that Father Bill had told her she thought too much because of that.
"If we're too busy looking back and being sad about what was or could've been, we won't see the little puppy crossing the road until he's splattered across our windshield. Then where will you be, eh? Unhappy about the past AND the little dog sprayed all over your windows, waiting to be scraped off. We need sorrow to feel joy. It's just another bump in the road that PEOPLE GET PAST. Everything ends, Pic. Good… And bad."
The door opened, startling Piccolo out his of semi-trance. He turned towards Goku, who was pointing at his watch and grinning. Piccolo nodded and put his mug on the desk and walked out with him.
And bad.
-
Piccolo sighed in relief as he snapped off his gloves, tossing them into a waste basket. The molar extraction had been a success, thankfully. It hadn't taken quite as long as he had suspected, so since that was his last appointment for the day, he decided to leave. He instructed Goku to clean up as he left the office, escaping from his overly-cheery secretary. He walked around the building until his black Lincoln came into view.
Finally.
He was about to unlock it when he felt a small body collide into his. He turned around to see Sarah grinning widely, holding up a yellow belt. She hopped up and down a couple of times before speaking.
"I got the double promotion in karate! I went from a white straight to the yellow!" She cheered. "I had to come by and tell you, man. I figured you could use hearing something exciting for a change."
"Thanks." Piccolo said dryly, although a smile threatened to tug on his lips. "That is good news. Don't beat me up, now."
"Psh, like I could. Youplayed some football back in your day. Guess what else? I got to ride on a dirt bike last night, and I crashed and almost killed myself!"
"…"
"Don't worry, I escaped with only a few bruises. See?" She lifted her blue long sleeved-shirt slightly to show him the discoloration on her stomach. "The handle bars went into my stomach, and the bike landed on my leg."
"Sounds painful."
"Knocked the breath out of me, that's for sure. Plus, my neck is really stiff… I hope I didn't get whip-lash."
"I'm sure it's just a crick." Piccolo said, shrugging.
"Well, I can't pop it and it's driving me crazy!" She whined, rubbing the back of her pale neck. Piccolo sighed and put his hands on either side of her face. He jerked her face each way, sending a two loud cracks in the air. The girl blinked and smiled, feeling her neck.
"Wow! I feel a lot better! Thanks, Pic." She cheered happily.
"No problem. Look, I'd love to stay and talk, but I was just on my way home." Piccolo apologized, pointing to his car. "I'll see you later, though, right?"
"Oh, ok. Yeah sure, later." She said, waving as she walked away as quickly as she had shown up. Piccolo growled to himself for doing the next thing, but he couldn't help it.
"Kid, wait." He called, jogging over to her. "I've been really bored lately. Do you…Suggest anything?"
"Well, there is a couple of things. Have you tried joining a gym?"
"That's where my-… Um, I'd rather not."
She lifted an eyebrow but said nothing. "Ok, what about cooking?"
"I suck."
"…What about video games?"
"You've got to be kidding me. I'm an adult, not some school kid."
"Surf the internet, eh?"
"Computers are the only things that can allow you to make mistakes quicker than hand guns and tequila."
"You are so damn PICKY! Geez, I don't have time for this, I'm going to be late to Confession." She said, checking her watch. "Crap, I really needed to talk with Father Bill, too."
Piccolo sighed and looked at his car. He had nothing better to do at the present time.
"Come on, I'll give you a ride." He muttered, unlocking the doors. Sarah tilted her head to the side as she watched him.
"You sure?" She asked cautiously, lifting an eyebrow again.
"Might as well." Piccolo shrugged, getting in the large car. Sarah shrugged as well and got in the passenger's seat.
"Ok, it's about5 minutes away from here." She said, and proceeded in giving her dentist directions to the church.
"Why don't you come in with me?"
"Churches make me nervous."
"Well that sounds like a problem of conscious." She remarked, rolling her eyes. "What are you going to do later?"
Piccolo's hand moved to the space directly to his right, as if he were going to shift gears. He brought his hand back to the steering wheel and put the car in reverse. "I'm not sure… Doesn't really matter, does it?"
"Maybe… Did you use to drive a stick?"
"Yeah, this is my first car without one." He smiled, shaking his head. "It's pretty new, so I'm still getting used to automatic. It's weird…" He said, pulling up to the street and checking both ways before getting in a turning lane.
"I'm not coordinated enough to drive one. My old man tried to show me how, but unfortunately in the middle of Main. I nearly killed us."
"Yeah, I was a pretty crappy driver at first, but you get used to it."
"Crappy driving?"
"Shut up."
"Touchy. By the way, when are you going to talk about her."
"Who?" Piccolo asked, trying to act nonchalant. The girl rolled her eyes and scoffed.
"Her. You know, the queen bitch."
"How about never?"
"Yeah, that's going to help. At least tell me what she looked like."
"No." Piccolo mumbled, feeling a strong headache coming on. "I don't want to talk about her. I'm trying to forget, thank you."
"That's not going to make it go away, Pic."
"Please don't call me that." Piccolo almost whispered, tightening his grip on the wheel.
"Ok, just tell me one thing. Was she pretty?" Sarah pleaded, making her eyes large and imploring.
Piccolo sighed and snickered, feeling extreme loathing throughout his veins, hate pumping in his blood. "Very."
Sarah smiled and looked out her window, pointing to her left. "Turn here, Pic."
"Please don't call me that."
"You've said that. Why?" The girl asked, raising a brow.
"Just don't!" Piccolo said heatedly, than winced as if his chest hurt but continued to stare straight ahead. "We're here, right?"
The kid merely shrugged and looked out the window, figuring he'd say something later about it. However, she found that pushing someone too hard and fast held consequences. Thus, she left it at that.
"Thanks again for the lift Pic…olo. Uh, I'll see you later."
"Yeah, see you." Piccolo muttered, more to his window than the girl. Sarah sighed and went up the church's steps, leaving the dentist alone in his car.
Dammit, why did I do that? It's not her fault. She doesn't know, couldn't know…
Piccolo growled and turned sharply out of the church's parking lot. She still shouldn't pry so much.