else that can help me. I find the name of the hospital and the doctor who performed my delivery then email both, together with ID. I doubt I will get anywhere, and to be honest I don’t know why I’m even trying. At the end of the day, she died because of me. That’s not something I wish to be reminded of.
Feeling a little deflated, I make my way outside with Jessie, giving her a big hug as I tell her to have a great night out with Jerry.
On the way home, I stop off to get some groceries for the apartment and order a bucket of chicken to take away. I can really do with some comfort food right now. Once home, it takes some time to load all the shopping bags since I only have two arms. I make it to the entrance where I again spot Brian. As if on cue, we both start laughing at the same time as this is definitely becoming a habit.
“We have to stop meeting like this, or the neighbors will talk. Especially when they see who I live with. That would certainly get the curtain twitchers talking.”
He grabs a couple of my bags, and we make our way to the lift. “Sorry, have I missed something?” I ask with a frown. “I’m a little confused.”
He looks abashed. “Oops, I assumed you knew. I’m gay, I was trying to make a joke, but it fell flat on its ass.”
“Oh, sorry! Yes, what you said makes sense now,” I laugh. “As you have surely noticed, I’ve been a little preoccupied lately.”
He nods his head. “Yeah, I know how that feels. Love is a bitch at times.”
We gather ourselves into the lift, and it hums as we make our way up.
“I’ll see you to your door if that’s okay? You seem to be a little overwhelmed with shopping bags. My better half loves to shop, so I’m already experienced in handling lots of goods.”
I laugh again. “Thanks, that would be great. Sounds like your other half and I would get on famously.”
The door pings open, then we make our way towards Jessie’s door.
“Where are you originally from, may I ask? You're obviously not from around these parts, that’s for sure.”
I let the bags down as I fumble for the key to unlock the door. “I’m originally from a place called Chelsea in London. My mother and I moved from there about eleven years ago.” I push the door open, then we walk towards the kitchen, setting the bags down.
“How cool is that? I’ve always wanted to see London. How have you managed to keep that accent of yours if you’ve lived here so long?”
I make my way to one of the bags, suddenly dying for a glass of Pinot. I haven’t had a glass in ages, and it’s exactly what I need right now. I offer him a glass, and he accepts.
“Well, that’s easy, you see. When my mum finally managed to get me enrolled in school, all the pupils there were amazed with my accent. They loved it, and I quickly became one of the most popular girls there. I was known as ‘Ana London’ for a while, and it carried on into high school. I figured, if everyone loved it so much, I should hold on to it as long as I could. It helped that every now and then we would visit London, but I haven’t been back for about four years since I devoted all my time to studying and getting my bachelor’s degree.”
I grab a couple of glasses out of the cabinet after using the corkscrew, and once poured, I hand Brian a glass.
“Sounds like you’ve led quite the life. What did you major in?” he asks after thanking me for the glass I hand him.
I start packing away my shopping, greedily sipping my wine in between items. “Criminal justice. I work at the Fairfax County Police Department. I love it. It’s certainly interesting.” I stop for a moment and ask, “What do you do?”
He takes a sip and looks at the glass like he’s appreciating the flavor. “I work from home mostly. I’m in IT which basically means I’m a computer geek. I do freelance work fixing bugs etcetera. It’s nothing fancy like your job, but it pays well.”
I finish putting all the shopping away then turn my attention to the bucket. When I offer Brian a piece, he licks his lips. “Wow, it’s a pity you’re not