A Grateful Dragon. Karla Schuurs

they both looked up together.

      Mira didn’t have to worry about ghost grief gripping her after all.

      “You’ve got to be shitting me!” came straight out of her mouth.

      It was more like ghost rage.

      “Mira?” She watched his face contort in shock, then restrain itself to cool professionalism.

      “Still got that potty mouth I see.”

      Scorned fury enveloped her.

      “Rex?! You’re my Dad’s oncologist?! You said you were a surgeon.”

      “Yes, oncological surgeon,” He said levelly, “Will you take a seat.”

      “No,” Mira was being irrational and immature, but she wasn’t doing a thing he said; not even a thing he suggested.

      She balled her little fists, standing back near the door.

      “You’ve cut your hair,” Rex said a little more gently.

      Mira breathed steam out of her mouth.

      “You never called,” she gritted out between a clenched jaw.

      “I had to scrub in quickly, it was an emergency,” Rex started.

      “And you didn’t have a phone,” Mira continued with hurt prickling her eyes, “And no one else had a phone,” her body was rigid with rage. She wasn’t that timid little girl who would just say “Ok,” anymore.

      “And you’ve not had a phone since, or access to a computer, or iPad - or anything. And nobody you know in the whole goddamn world has either right?!”

      “Yes but…”

      “But nothing! Matt still has me in that muso group on fb. You could have found me. You could have found a way. You just didn’t want to.”

      And the bitter truth of his rejection hit her with reality’s full force.

      Mira suddenly felt completely stupid for pining over him like a whimpering puppy all this time.

      “It’s not that simple,” Rex replied so levelly it made Mira want to spit fire at him, "Life has been very complicated for me…”

      “It’s been complicated for you too huh? ‘Cause I helplessly witnessed my dad tortured to death, held my grieving family together, while sucking my boss’ dick to afford to bury my dad. Don’t get me wrong, none of that’s on you… I had a job to do. But don’t worry I get it,” then she spat out his own words back at him “Life’s big kid.”

      And Mira swung around.

      As she went to put her hand on the doorknob her bag flew open. Her phone hit the floor and started tinkling out Play That Song.

      Mira snatched it up, but her fumbling fingers couldn’t turn the fuccer off.

      Rex came over and tried to help. He reached over her for the phone.

      “I wasn’t listening to it,” Mira hissed, trying to swing away from him.

      “Sure,” Rex mumbled as he continued to try and help her. They both reached back and forward awkwardly, but at one point the familiar rush of their energies connecting clicked like two puzzle pieces that fit; and their bodies started swaying together.

      Mira felt it.

      Her delighted molecules moved in warm harmony with Rex. The familiar sensation of that current in her meeting joyously with Rex’s flow lifted her feet off the ground for a moment.

      Mira slammed her subconscious back down, down to ground.

      “Oh for fucc’s sake!” Mira spat out, frazzled and flushed.

      Rex chuckled under his breath, took the phone gently out of her sweaty grasp and turned it off neatly.

      With those swift, capable fingers she remembered ever so clearly, he put the phone in her handbag and zipped it up.

      Rex was leaning over her handbag. He looked up straight into her eyes. She felt his breath on her lips. Mira wanted to grab his glorious face and kiss those generous lips like it was her last breath.

      Instead she blurted out “I’m seeing someone.”

      Rex’s sparkling eyes dulled.

      “So am I,” He rumbled out.

      Mira’s heart fell to the ground with a bloody splat and started flipping on the carpet like a fish out of water gasping for air.

      But she managed to nod.

      Mira threw the door open and literally stumbled out the other side and shut it behind her.

      She saw the nurse behind the desk gawking, now her eyes looked disproportionately big. Mira started smoothing down her dress nervously.

      Hearing movement from the other side of the door Mira’s eyes bugged and she scooted over to the stairs.

      The last thing she wanted was to be caught in the goddam elevator with him.

      Mira dashed down the stairs and scuttled to the car. She got in, slamming the door shut with trembling hands. Mira tried breathing in and out and a couple of times but it was no good. She couldn’t hide her heartbreak, not from herself, and burst into bitter tears of hurt and rejection.

      As Mira sat their scrunched up in on herself like a piece of trash sobbing, she herd a tap on her window.

      Mira jumped, gasped like she was having an asthma attack then squinted out the window.

      It was him?!

      Urrrrrrr…

      “For fucc’s sake!” Mira cursed, winding down the window furiously.

      “Watch your language Miss Potty Mouth,” Rex was smiling kindly over her, but he felt like her tombstone.

      He handed her Dad’s cochlear through the window.

      “You forgot this.”

      Mira sighed “Thanks.”

      “Mira, for what it’s worth I’m sorry.”

      Mira looked straight back at him, steel wiping her burning eyes clear, “It’s worth nothing.”

      She wound her window up and drove off.

      This Is Life

      Sunny called as Mira was pulling into the carport.

      “Hey girrrrl,” Mira trilled, with her phone jammed in her neck as she turned the car off.

      “Watcha doin’ this weekend?” Sunny’s vibrant tone beamed back through the phone, shooting Mira with a warm zing that instantly took the ice off her mood.

      “Watching Netflix and livin’ the dream,” Mira chuckled into the phone, extracting it carefully from between her neck and her shoulder, “Why baby?”

      “Wellllll, those jeans we spent three hours wrestling up over my bum in that change room were worth it! I was thinking now you and David are a thing we could do like a double-date?”

      “You’re still seeing the same guy? Geez, you guys must be up to like your third date! Now who’s going the chapel and dreaming of picket fences and babies and puppies?”

      Sunny laughed heartily, but for once she didn’t fight it. “I think this guy might be the one,” she gushed down the phone.

      Mira had never heard Sunny talk like this, with such a softness in her tone. Mira could feel the content, honey-warm energy pouring down the phone to her.

      “Ohhh baby I’m so happy for you,” Mira