Clash Of Cultures

15. Front Seat Passenger

Salman

The last two years I was on in-patient service during Advocacy Week so had not been able to travel to Springfield, IL. Residents that went always came back with stories about meeting senators and their administrators. Some senators were friendlier than others. Some were just downright abusive, especially when it came to topics such as gun control and vaccine mandates, both of which were unfortunate controversial topics in the US. 

I had been looking forward to going this year since it meant a day off from clinic. When Kimberly asked if she along with Scott and Noor could ride with me, in all transparency, not seeing patients wasn't the only reason for my eagerness to drive 6 hours back and forth from Springfield.

I hadn't really had a chance to talk to Noor since that night outside the ER. I mostly just saw her in the hallway or during our teaching conferences. And she was always running off somewhere. The more I thought about how she had helped me, the more I realized that I knew so little about her. What was it like growing up for her in Pakistan? How was life without her family here? What does she want to do in her future medical career? These are the kind of questions that many astute senior residents ask their interns to help them settle in. Of course, I had spent my month on service with her being a dickhead!

So as the four of us gathered outside my house that morning I may have suggested to Kim that she and Scott should take the back seat. Kim was convinced I had feelings for Noor, and she did not hesitate from throwing her things in the back seat and even snatched Scott's backpack from him and set it next to hers. I had to tell her to stop giggling though, because both Scott and Noor were looking at her as if she had gone insane.

"Noor, how is the winter treating you?", I asked as I scrapped the ice off my windshield. 

Poor thing was obviously shivering despite looking like a stuffed penguin.

"I. Hate. It", she replied to me through shivering lips. 

As soon as I pried her door open, she quickly sat in the car. Thankfully my Ford could be started remotely, so the inside was at a comfortable temperature. Scott and I quickly got in as well. No matter how long you had lived in Chicago, you never really got used to the winter cold.

Soon after we started driving, I could hear Kim's soft snoring. She was the kind of person who could sleep anywhere anytime. Scott too had taken out his novel and was reading quietly. That meant Noor would be available to chat with me, and only me. 

Ha! My plan worked!

Just then I smelled a heavenly fruity scent. I looked over at Noor and she had just taken off her jacket's hood. As she took off her woolen hat, her thick damp hair tumbled to her shoulders. Her cheeks were flushed and full lips a deep pink from the cold. She turned to give me a half smile, her eyes still drowsy from sleep. As I watched her, I forgot I was driving for a few seconds.

How am I supposed to not be distracted with her looking like that? Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to have her sit in the front...

Hoping she had not noticed me staring at her I blurted out, "You shouldn't wash your hair in the morning in winters, or at least make sure that its dry before stepping out"

She looked embarrassed so I quickly followed with a personal anecdote, "During my first winter in Chicago, I washed my hair once and decided to walk to class without a hat. I literally had icicles on my head by the time I reached class". 

That made her chuckle and me smile at that sweet sound that I had missed hearing. 

We spent the next hour talking about random things. I wished I could have a more meaningful conversation with her but with Scott and Kim in the back seat that probably wasn't the best time or space. I was just glad that she seemed more and more comfortable with me as time passed. Too often, and in no small part because of my behavior, she tended to close down around me. When we stopped at Starbucks and stood in line together, it almost felt like we were friends.