Behind Closed Doors

    The absence of love in her eyes was painfully fluent as they conversed in his office with the door open. I couldn't help but notice how harshly he spoke to her despite the subtlety in his words. I never liked him anyway. His arrogance ate away at every nerve I had left in me and I only remained calm because I enjoyed my job. She highly influenced my decision to keep my opinions to myself as well as she was always so kind to everyone in the office and a very pleasant soul to be around. It was almost as if she were attempting to make up for her husband's blatant displays of rudeness and lack of compassion. 

    Her and I were from the same small town, which was something to be proud of. We fell on this common ground by accident one afternoon when she overheard a conversation between him and I. Since that day, she seemed to favor my presence just a little more than the others, but nothing that was out of character and certainly nothing that I ever thought to question. 

    My presence in the hallway remained unnoticed as I caught a glimpse of the two of them standing just beyond the doorway. I kept my pace and continued on my way, their voices echoing in the distance. I couldn't help but wonder how he spoke to her when no one else was around and if it even bothered him that we could all hear him now. Though none of this was any of my business, it weighed heavily on my mind and my curiosity had finally reached its peak. I was filing away my last patient chart when I heard her footsteps growing closer just outside the door. Her office was only a few steps away and my timing was to be decided quickly if I was to make this appear to be a simple coincidence. 

    She nearly bumped into me as I stepped back into the hallway, but instead she greeted me with an eager smile and an overly friendly, "Good morning!" 

    I could see in her eyes that she was a bit embarrassed and somewhat nervous. It could have been that I had simply startled her or perhaps she was aware that I had overheard the conversation moments earlier. I was never one to initiate conversation, but as we stood there I felt an overwhelming urge to ask her if she was alright. She continued to smile as she attempted to convince me that she was just fine, although it was clearly evident that it took a lot of effort for her to do so. An awkward silence fell between us as she nervously wrapped her necklace around her index finger, smiling as she stared at my face the entire time. It seemed as though she wanted to say something, but was unable to grasp the words. I wanted so much from her in that moment, but there were boundaries and her husband was only a few feet away obnoxiously boasting to a patient about his yacht. In an effort to kill the awkwardness, I accepted that this shared moment between us had come to an end and that it would be best for me to return to my desk. Before I could speak, she suddenly stopped fidgeting and gently placed her hand on my upper arm. 

    "Come in my office for a minute. I want to show you something." She said with a smile as she led me into her office, looking away only to close the door behind us.-