Many thanks to talented author/editor
HMAuthor
for first editing and improving and to Mommylovesgirls for fixing more mistakes.
No praise is sufficient for Madame C, whose amazing talents resulted in the story receiving an injection of humanity that it was missing, turning it into something so much better than it was that the author is still marveling.
*
"Don't forget your physical tomorrow morning."
Josie's voice startled Max. He looked up and saw her at the entrance to the locker room. Her stance was aggressive, as if she was barring his way.
"As usual, you've waited until the last minute. If the coach doesn't get the forms by Friday morning, you don't suit up that night. That includes proof of immunization shots. Do you want to sit out the first game?"
"I know," he said, sounding like a petulant child receiving a scolding from his mother. "Coach was already on me. I'm going Monday morning."
He took a deep breath and tried to change his voice so he sounded grateful and conciliatory.
"Thanks for reminding me, Josie. Look, since you're the team manager and trainer this year, we'll be seeing each other a lot. I hope we can forget about..."
"I told you I would never forget," she interrupted. "But I don't want to talk about that. I'm just reminding you about your physical."
"Here are your forms. Knowing you, you probably lost the ones you got before. Fill them out and bring them with you tomorrow morning."
"Coach told me Monday."
"I'll repeat it for you slowly, dummy. Too-maaah-row mooornnnn-innng. And look at the address on the forms. You're going to a different medical office than last year."
She handed him the pages, turned around and walked away. He watched how she moved her amazing body. It seemed to be telling him, "Look what you're missing," but he wasn't listening.
He had finished with Josie last spring, and he had just dumped his second girlfriend since then. His mind went to a few girls he had been thinking about. Which one would he make his move on next?
**************
The building he drove up to the next morning looked faded and falling apart. There were only a handful of cars in the lot, and as he walked past an elevator that was out of order and climbed the stairs, he didn't see a soul.
When he opened the door and entered the small waiting room, he saw only a few worn chairs. There was no one at the reception window, so he said, "Hello," in a loud voice and then sat down.
A minute later a nurse wearing a mask opened a door and said, "Mr. Strong?"
"Yes."
"Please follow me."
"Why are you wearing that?" he asked.
"There's a patient who may be contagious in another examination room. It's a precaution, but you aren't in any danger."
He followed her into an examination room. Some of the walls were peeling and the cabinets and drawers were old and worn. There was almost no furniture in the room, only a scale, an examination table, a rolling stool and a few chairs.
"Let's weigh you and get your height first," said the nurse. "You don't need to take off your shoes. Just step up here."
She wrote the numbers down on her clipboard and then took the blood pressure cuff from the counter.
"Please sit here and breathe normally."
After recording his blood pressure, she said, "I'm going to give you your first shot. If needles bother you, please turn your head."
When she had finished with the injection, she said, "Okay. I'm done with you. Please take off all your clothes except your underwear, put them on a chair and lie down on the examination table. I'll pull out this extension for your feet because you're so tall. Someone will be right in."
Max took off everything except his boxers and lay down.
He woke up drowsy and still lying on the table. At first, he thought he had just nodded off, but when he shifted, something felt wrong. He could barely move. He shook his head and looked around.
He was flat on his back, but he no longer had his underwear on. Wide pieces of material had been wrapped around his body and the table, and they were holding him tight. One was around his chest and shoulders, another around his stomach and arms and the last around his thighs. He could move his lower legs a little, but his arms were pinned to his sides by the tight wrap.
"Hey!" he yelled.
He didn't hear anything, but after he yelled a second time the door opened, and Josie walked in, followed by Carmela, Inez, Mary and Kathy. They were all laughing.