"Did you guys get paid enough when you worked?" Huelene inquired.
"Not really," Huey replied, "since we were struggling to pay off everything else."
"I soon discovered the harsh reality of the workplace: you don't receive as much respect for working in certain areas because of who you are," Huey added.
"What! What happened?" Huelene asked, concerned.
I believed Jazmine and I was catching up on things after a period of working together. However, because I was bored and nosy at work, I would occasionally listen in on my coworkers' conversations. They used to talk about all the things they would buy once they got paid. And I found that unusual because I was always too busy paying bills and putting money aside for school and groceries to buy anything.
These guys were talking about buying fancy automobiles, watches, shoes, and cologne, going out to lunch with their girlfriends and wives, staying in hotels, and attending football games, among other things.
I know that doesn't seem like much, but it struck me when they said they were paid $30,000 annually. And, while that may not seem like much in today's society, it was enough to pay bills, put money aside, and not go hungry or without necessities at the end of the month.
I was pissed off because I was getting paid half of their salary.
What the fuck was I going to do with $15,000 dollars a year?
My tuition cost almost half of that!
Sure, I could pay for bills, food, and other important things, but it barely got me and Jazmine by during the month. If it weren't for us flirting with the people who collect money from us we'd be homeless by now.
Jazmine and a few other nurses were being underpaid. Of course, the doctors would be paid more than them, but there were male nurses who came in and were paid more than the female nurses. And, according to Jazmine, they put forth more effort than the male nurses and doctors combined.
Even the female doctors would be paid less than the male nurses, and they worked higher than them.
I remember Jazmine and I both came in from work that day, and we were pissed off. We minded our own business when doing our night routine and then it got to a point where we had to talk it out.
She was laying in bed with her nightgown on, wearing a pair of glasses a decreased patient gave to her, and she was reading a book called "Princess Daisy".
When I got into bed, I started to observe her posture and facial expression. She was mad and stiff!
Jazmine was gripping her book as if she was about to break it.
It got to the point I was concerned for her. Because the only one in this relationship that should be scowling like that is me. It's natural for me to have that facial expression, but, Jazmine?
There was definitely something wrong with her!
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Nothing!" she sternly answered.
There's something wrong!
"Are you sure?" I asked once again.
"Huey, I'm fine, let's just call it a night and go to bed, so we could prepare for work in the morning," she exclaimed, getting mad when she said the word 'work'.
When a woman says she's fine, that is a lie! They are definitely not fine, they're mad as hell. This is a trap, she wants me to care and ask questions so she could tell me all that happened.
I decided to give in to this because I really wanted Jazmine to tell me how she was feeling.
"What happened?" I asked as she immediately closed her book and set it down on her nightstand along with her glasses.
"So, today at work, I was once again disrespected by the male nurses and doctors," she started.
"And how did this all start?" I asked.
"I arrived at work, I go to the locker room to get ready, and I realized my locker was taken by Greg, one of our male nurses. And the thing is he knows that's my locker because it has my name and stuff in there. But he set some of my stuff aside and put some of his items in there when there are other lockers available," she began on how her day started.
"And he makes up some sorry ass excuse saying 'I just like this locker better' and then he acts as if he's the victim when I snap at him and the other male nurses and doctors were saying 'Damn Jazmine learn to share, we're all family here' but's that's not the only thing that happened today," she said imitating a man's voice.
Oh, she cursed, she's really mad!
"What else happened next?" I asked as the story was getting more interesting.
I didn't like how they disrespected Jazmine but I was glad she called the guy out.
"One of my sweet patients had almost died today because of their dumbasses," she said getting more upset. I can't believe they almost killed somebody today.
"What happened?" I asked out of concern.
Jazmine had really loved her patients and they loved her. She and the other nurses cared for them more and had a great bond with them unlike the doctors and male nurses.
"So, most of the male nurses and sometimes the doctors, have no fucking idea what they're doing. I think I can do better than them, and I can't wait to go to college so shit like this doesn't happen at a hospital," she cursed.
"Today, the patient I have, we had to give her a little morphine so she could go to sleep, but these idiots didn't listen to me when I told them to give her a little. They suck up almost have the bottle and inject it into her. They got all the measurements wrong and she almost died. Thankfully, I was able to retrieve Doctor Anderson and he was able to save her," Jazmine angrily explained.
"Well, that's a relief!" I said.
"Yeah, but instead of them being fired, they got placed on suspension. No one should make a careless mistake like that! At this point, they're just here for the money and not to actually help our patients. It's a shame that all of the female nurses get paid less than the male nurses and we work harder than them," Jazmine complained.
She wasn't wrong!
It was unfair to them and their patients.
"The only male who has respect for any of us at that place is Doctor Anderson," she spoke.
"Who's Doctor Anderson?" I asked out of curiosity.
"Oh, he's one of the best doctors in Washington and he's well known for his performances on his patients and researching some cures for diseases," Jazmine excitedly explained.
"How old is he?" I asked.
"I think he's 34 or 35 years old," she said thinking about it.
"Wow!" I said amazed.
I was shocked because he made such an impact and he's considered young for a doctor.
"I know right!" she said noticing my expressions.
"Yeah!" I said agreeing. I hope I can be on that type of level as a lawyer and businessman.
"So enough about how bad my day was, how was your day Hue-Hue?" she asked.
"It was quarterly similar to yours," I said as she giggled when I said quarterly.
"Did someone almost die?" she asked as I shook my head.
"No, I found out I get paid less than some of my coworkers, and the thing is, we work the same job and hours, and some of them came after I was hired, and they somehow still get paid more than me," I said as Jazmine looked shocked.
"How much do they get paid?" she asked.
"Twice my annual salary," I said as her eyes widen.
"The fuck are they serious?" she asked to be sure as I nodded.
"100% serious," I spoke.
"Oh my God, this is so unfair! You know what we should do, we should go confront our bosses and just ask for a raise because we both work very hard at our jobs. You sometimes stay late so you can fix your customer's cars," she strongly suggested.
I thought it would be a good idea but I didn't want the both of us getting fired.
"Yeah, I know, but we can't risk anything! The best we can do is work more hours if we want to get paid more," I said as she sighed.
"I guess I could work some of the night shifts," she tiredly spoke.
"This is just a suggestion, I'm not saying we should actually do it," I corrected.
"I know, but at this point, I'm taking it into mind! Huey, we have almost a year and a couple of months until the fall semester starts and we haven't come up with enough money yet to get through the semester," she said exhausted.
"I know, I know," I said not wanting to think about it, but she was right. We had a limited amount of time to get all of this done.
And the money we were making now wasn't paying off much. It was barely getting us through the month and that was a problem.
I gently intertwined me and Jazmine's hands and raised them up to kiss her hand.
"How about, I start taking the night shift so I can get paid more?" I inquired.
"What, no!" she disagreed.
"Come on Jazmine, you said it yourself, we're financially struggling to meet our deadlines for our tuition, and we need to make this quick so we want have to worry about much," I said as she looked as if she couldn't argue.
"You're right! Maybe I can start working night shifts so I can get paid extra," she said giving in.
"Yeah!" I mumbled out of defeat.
"So, you guys started working longer hours?" Huelene asked.
"Yes," Huey answered.
"Did it affect you guys from seeing each other?" Huelene asked.
"Yes, but it was to be expected. Whenever I would come home late she wouldn't be there because she would spend her nights at the hospital. Then whenever she was home, I would be at work, so it left us frustrated because we couldn't see each other," Huey said getting a headache from the idea of it.
When I returned home after a long night shift, I hoped to find Jazmine reading or sleeping in bed, but she was nowhere to be found. She was attending to her patients in the hospital. That was fine with me, although it did get a little lonely not having her around most of the time. I used to sleep by myself, but as Jazmine and I started dating and living together, I realized how much I enjoyed having someone by my side to sleep with. It seemed like an empty bed when she wasn't there.
That's how most nights were without her. It just felt lonely being in a small house by yourself.
When I did see her at home, it would be unusual. I recall returning home the first night to find her fast asleep in bed. Her hair was tied up with a bandana, and she smelt good.
She had just got out of the shower.
She had to have hopped straight into bed.
I watched her while she slept, and she appeared to be exhausted. I could tell she had been up late since she had black bags under her eyes.
I just sighed and shook my head.
I honestly wanted her to quit her night shifts.
She was working too hard and her body didn't seem healthy. I know we were doing this to pay for our tuition and our bills, but at that point, I really wanted us to both quits.
It was putting us both under stress and we weren't getting enough respect at our jobs for working harder than our other coworkers.
If Jazmine and I were able to succeed, I couldn't wait for us to go to school, get an internship, and possibly quit the jobs that we're at and start earning respect and a fair amount of money and support.
It was all coming and I could feel it!
I couldn't give up now, I had to do this for Jazmine and me so we could achieve our dreams of becoming a doctor and a lawyer.
She wanted it and I wanted it, so there's no turning back now, as much as I want to!
I walked over to Jazmine's side of the bed to lean toward her to give her a kiss on the forehead.
I gently rubbed her and mumbled: "I'm proud of you!"
I know it was odd for me to say it, but whether she was asleep or secretly awake, I think she needed to hear it. Not many women get praised for working hard and I thought my woman deserved it.
I didn't like what it was causing but I knew she was doing it from the heart.
"You are such a gentleman" Huelene complimented.
"Not a lot of men could do what you did," she pointed out.
"I know! It's only a few rare ones like this," Huey added.
"Yeah, I wish there were more! A lot of women need that type of support and encouraging words," Huelene spoke.
"Yeah, they do!" Huey agreed.
Thank you for reading!