“Excuse me, I got all sweaty during the last training session. I only had time to quickly put on another shirt,” Alexandra apologised in a hurry.
Her dance partner raised his eyebrows to his hairline.
“Excuse me?”
“Never mind,” the young woman waved dismissively.
“Alright.”
The man, smelling of coffee mixed with garlic, pulled the flushed and overheated Alexandra close. For the next two minutes, she tried to keep her nose as far away from his face as possible.
“How are you today, Alexandra?”
“Thank you, Doctor, I’m doing great.”
“Are you in any pain?”
“Just a little bit.”
“Excellent, that means your wound is healing properly.”
“Yes. Though… I haven’t looked at it yet.”
The dentist didn’t respond. He adjusted his mask, positioned the light, and picked up the long-handled mirror.
“But,” Alexandra stammered nervously, “it’s only because I find wounds disgusting. They’re so gross.”
The man furrowed his brow.
“I mean,” the woman stuttered, “not this wound. I’m sure it’s very neat, since you stitched it. And I know you do excellent work on others.” She had to swallow hard.
The dentist let his hand fall onto his thigh.
“Well, not just on others, of course. On me, too,” her throat was completely dry now. She glanced desperately at the spittoon, searching for a glass to drain, even if it was filled with mouthwash. Luckily, there were a few inches of water in it.
“Well?” he asked, raising the mirror back to Alexandra’s face.
“W-what do you mean?” she stammered.
“Could you open your mouth so I can take a look?”
“O-of course.”
“Hello, I’m here to pick up a package. I saw in the app that it’s already at the post office.”
“Did you receive a notification?”
“No, but I think…”
“Alright, hold on. Let me check.”
Alexandra drummed her fingers nervously on the counter as the twenty-something clerk sifted through the day’s shipments.
“Has it arrived?”
“Unfortunately, not yet. If you give me a tracking number, I’d be happy to check its status for you.”
“That’s not necessary, it’s not urgent.”
“Alright. We deliver packages daily between eleven and two. My colleague will call you the morning of the delivery.”
“Perfect.”
But instead of leaving the office, she stayed, beads of sweat forming on her forehead, and launched into another round of unnecessary excuses.
“I only stopped by because I thought it was already here. I’m not impatient or anything. Honestly, I thought it would be easier for everyone if I just picked it up myself while running errands. Our street is so steep, I’m sure no one likes climbing up there.”
The young woman forced an awkward smile.
“I understand. We’ll notify you when the package arrives.”
“Great. But really, it’s not urgent. I was just in the area…”
She took a deep breath, inhaling the cool scent of the summer evening. Her eyes never left the sky. She had to see a shooting star. She was determined to enlist the universe’s help so she could finally go to dance classes, dentist appointments, or handle any official business without making pointless excuses or nonsensical explanations. Apparently, when she blew out her birthday candles, she hadn’t worded her wish clearly enough.