Zoe and Jack found a lot to like in each other. Jack loved the kind of woman who knew what to do on every occasion, the type of person who could take charge and get things done, while still having compassion. His mother was one of those--constantly out working in the community, heading events and helping out wherever she could. Zoe, conversely, loved men who, while they had a mind of their own, deferred to a woman in those times and places where her insights might prove better in the long term. Zoe was practical, strong-willed, and anxious for success.

Walking back to her ward, Zoe thought about lunch with Jack, remembered again the brief game her mind played on her showing Jack getting an enema and spanking, and quickly turned to imagining she could have a relationship with this guy from Inhalation Therapy. Her previous relationship had gone badly. He worked at a bank down the street from the hospital, and they met in a small restaurant in the neighborhood. She had gone to the bar for a drink after work and he (His name was Earl) came bounding through, spilling drink on her, profusely apologizing, then coming back from the bathroom to sit next to her.

It turned out that Earl was interesting, certainly interesting enough that a couple of dates led to a few weeks of amazing sex, but something was missing. For him, sex was a duty to perform, nothing else, it seemed, and the flame between them sputtered quickly. Within those few weeks, it was over. it seemed like a curtain fell, and she went into a grey space where work took over everything. She did her daily tasks well, but the spirit was not there.

Then, along came Jack. Zoe had seen him several times on her unit, tending to his patients, and wondered who he might be. She asked a couple of the other nurses, but none could shed too much light on him or his life. Putting her interest aside, she went back to tending her patients, that is, until that patient in 8A needed that enema.

Jack walked down the two floors to the ground floor, where his office and storage areas were located, thinking all the while of this nurse with the smiling face. Clearly smitten by Zoe, he committed to himself they would get to know each other better, and the first step was to tie down that first real date. he would learn more about her in the next few days, but for now, it was back to work tending patients. These two people, floors apart, began to create links that would bring them together, yet unfortunately dash in the time to come.

++++++++++++++

The following morning about ten AM, Jack walked into the nursing unit and saw Zoe almost immediately, coming out of a patient room.

"Well Nurse Zoe," Jack chimed, "How are you doing today?"

Zoe looked up and smiled.

"Just doing my usual rounds, trying to find patients to give enemas to sir. And how are you this fine day?"

"Everything is great," Jack responded, with a slight grimace at the word enema. "Actually have no patients this morning, so I am walking through the floors to get a resupply list together. What about you? Having a good day yourself?"

"Better than average. Things are quiet, some patients are going home, and we just might have a slower day than usual."

"Great. How about lunch?" asked Jack.

"Sure, pick a time. I'm the boss today, so I get to choose."

"Eleven-thirty then?"

"It's a date," answered Zoe.

"I'll come by then," said Jack waving, as he headed for the unit supply room. Zoe nodded, and turned to enter the room of her next patient.

Jack went back to the nursing unit later in the morning to walk Zoe to the cafeteria. The two had a lively conversation, mostly about patients they knew in common, but the twinkle in the eyes of the two young people said it all--they liked each other, wanted to get to know each other better, and the deal for the first date was made shortly before they finished lunch and would walk back toward Zoe.s nursing area. The big first date was the following evening, and Jack would pick up Zoe about 6:30pm.

+++++++++++++++

The Date Night

Jack looked at the map on his smartphone and realized Zoe lived not far from the hospital, in a small apartment area that had once been the site of a large factory. It was a pleasant place, three streets, and apartments that were really townhouses, although some had three floors, rather than two and were offered as apartments. Zoe lived in one of those.

Finding the address, Jack parked in front, and walked up the short pathway to the house, stopping at the stoop to see a group of three bells on the wall to the left. The last one had Zoe's name and he pushed it, hearing a buzz within the house, the a voice saying, "Who is it?"

"Jack. it's me Jack, Zoe."

"OK Jack, I'll buzz you in. I'm on the top floor. Come on up." Jack could hear the click on the door, and he pushed it open, then walked toward the stairs to the top floor. Zoe waited for him at the top by the railing.

"Well hello," she said quietly. "Welcome to my home. Come on in," she added, pointing toward the open door beyond the rail.

I have to say Zoe looked radiant, in an off-white dress, mid-knee length, a single string of pearls around her neck. It clearly outlined her incredible body. Everything just perfect.

We walked inside to a very cozy apartment. It had a large living room, with overstuffed sofa and side chairs, an interesting Bombay-type fold down table that, as I found out later, was adjustable. it could be low or high, and expandable to a decent sized dining table, if needed. Right now, it sat in front of the sofa with a large display of cut flowers of various kinds. off to the side was the kitchen, and beyond the other doors that were evident, assumedly a bathroom and bedroom.

"Very nice place," suggested Jack. "Love the overstuffed chairs and sofa. Wish I had them myself."

"I do love comfort," responded Zoe. "When I was deciding to move in, and knew I needed to conserve on space, I thought about the overstuffed chairs my grandmom had, and remembered how comfortable they were. Decided to set some myself. Besides, they double as beds, if needed."

"Well, let's get on our way," offered Jack. "We have a 7pm reservation at The Village. Hope you approve?"

"I love The Village," she responded, "It is so quaint, you think you are there by yourself. The food is marvelous. Great choice Jack," she said, beaming. They turned and started out the door, when Zoe did an about-face, and kissed Jack on the cheek.

"Thanks for being you and taking me to my favorite place." Then, turning again, she started down the stairs as jack followed, closing the door to the apartment, making sure it locked.

It took about ten minutes to get to the restaurant, park and head toward the door. The Village Restaurant was actually part of a small village, set in a park in town. it had several stores, even an alley through which you entered the restaurant. Several parts of the structure were salvaged from small European villages undergoing renewal, and a smart contractor realized the walls, and roofs might be wanted by Americans for just such an effort. In this case, a developer wanted something different to surround a restaurant, and he contacted the man with the parts. Within months, the Village was taking shape. The restaurant was built in the center with the other stores surrounding it, but entered through what looked like a small London Alley, with globe lights and cobblestone on the walkway.

Walking inside was like entering an old English tavern, with dividers, posts, and myriad plants. Along the walls were pictures of the English countryside, along with farm and early manufacturing artifacts. During the holidays, the motif changed, and you might find pumpkins, bunting for the Fourth of July, Christmas Trees, and even a Halloween haunted house motif. You never really knew what you faced when coming through the door. it was interesting, exciting, and the food was excellent.

The Maitre'd met Jack and Zoe at the door and showed them to a side table overlooking the alley. it was quiet and reasonable isolated, but they could see out the small-paned windows into the alley. Within a few moments, the waiter arrived to take their drink orders.

"Jack, this place is so beautiful, so quaint. Don't you agree?"

"I do Zoe. Just knew you would love coming here. You said it was your favorite, and I guessed it just might be. I bet myself that you like quaint, traditional things, and this might just be the place to get to know each other better."

"You guessed right, Jack. I do love this place. It reminds me in so many ways of the small town I grew up in back in Indiana. We had a small town with so many different style buildings, mostly because of the immigrant traditions, but they all came together as our town. It seems a bit like that here, don't you think?"

"I agree. I love older, traditional things myself. Not much into fads, unless they really impress me. i came from a really simple family, blue-collar, dad worked and mom ran the house. She ran the house with an iron hand, to be sure, but we all knew we were taken care of well. How about you?"

"Much the same. My dad worked in a factory making furniture. My mom was a stay-at-home like yours."

"What caused you to make the decision to go into nursing?"

"That was easy. I come from a rather large family. There are eight of us kids, and the age gap from the oldest to the youngest is nearly twenty years. I was one of the oldest, and the oldest girl, so, when the house got sick, usually everyone did, and, as I got older, mom taught me the basics of home health care. I helped her take care of the younger ones."

"Really, that must have been interesting. What did the other kids think?"

"Got a lot of push-back, but when that happened, they often got the back of my mom's hand or worse for giving me a hard time. Mostly, they minded what I told them I had to do. When it came time to think about going off to school, going into nursing was an easy decision. I already knew some, and could learn more, so I agreed to go to the University for their nursing program."

Jack was getting more interested in Zoe's history, but they were interrupted by the waiter bringing drinks and asking about their menu choices, something they had not even considered, so the waiter told them he would be back in a short while. With their drinks in hand, the conversation could continue.

[Continuing Story]