Promise Me Eternity Read Online Free Page A

going to use the bathroom
now. I’ll be about ten minutes.”
    “You go ahead, and I’ll put some clothes on.”
He was already in the bedroom, where he pulled on a pair of blue
sweat pants and a white T-shirt. He looked in the mirror one more
time and gave himself a confident wink. How lucky he was to have
met Anita, the woman of his dreams.
    This had happened about a year ago. Before
that, he would never have imagined himself falling in love with a
co-worker. He’d had a firm rule about keeping his private life
separate from work. But now he felt differently. It made him so
happy that they could wake up together in the morning, drive to the
hospital in the same car, and even work in the same operating room.
It felt as if Anita Carter had become a part of him, he loved her
so much.
    “I say, let’s eat. You agree, dear?” She wore
a bathrobe and her long black hair was gathered into a
ponytail.
    Glowing with happiness, Jerry took two plates
and placed them on the round table in the dining room, followed by
the silverware, two glasses, and a bottle of wine. On each plate he
placed a veal steak and added a fist-sized mound of rice.
    Anita sat down at the table, but her thoughts
were elsewhere.
    Jerry, too, sat down and picked up his fork,
saying, “Bon appétit.”
    “ Bon appétit,” she
replied. “You forgot the saltshaker. You know I always add a
little salt to my meat.”
    He immediately put down the fork and ran to
the kitchen. When he came back, he said, “Here you go.”
    “You’re so sweet. I don’t know what I’d do
without you.”
    He poured them each a glass of red wine.
    He had just sat down when she said, “Honey,
since you’re up, could you hand me the dishcloth? I spilled a
little wine.”
    Again he stood up and went to get the
dishcloth, which lay on top of the sideboard in the kitchen. He
stood there a moment. “Need anything else?”
    “No, dear, that’s all. You should sit down
and eat. Your supper’s getting cold.”
    He nodded obediently and sat down opposite
her. He cut off a piece of meat and lifted it toward his mouth.
    “There’s something we have to talk
about.”
    “Oh?” He put the fork down on his plate.
“What’s that?”
    “What we were talking about today at
lunch.”
    Glumly, he started chewing the meat. “Oh,
that.”
    “I really think you need to talk to
Patterson. You can’t be an assistant forever. Don’t you agree?”
    “I don’t know. Patterson’s so rough on me. I
always have the feeling—”
    “That’s only because you let him treat you
like that. You don’t believe in yourself enough, that’s all. You
need to assert yourself. Talk to him.”
    “I’d rather let it wait a while. Maybe
another year.”
    “Oh, no, no! That’s a big mistake. Listen to
what I’m saying. Where’s the harm in talking to him? At least then
you’ll know where you stand. They can’t keep leading you by the
nose forever. Besides, they need you. You know better than anyone,
there aren’t enough surgeons in the hospital, let alone
neurosurgeons. They can’t afford to lose you. All you need to do is
threaten a little that you might leave ….”
    Some rice had gotten stuck in his throat. He
picked up the dishcloth and coughed into it. “I don’t know. Maybe I
will talk to him.”
    “There you go! I have no doubt you’ll
succeed. You mustn’t let other people walk all over you in life.
You have to stand up for yourself. Only then will they really
respect you.”
    Though angry at her for forcing the issue, he
wondered, What if it’s true? What if money is the only reason
they don’t want to promote me? If that’s the case, then I really
should talk to Patterson.
    When they had eaten, he put the dirty dishes
in the dishwasher and turned it on. Anita stretched out on the sofa
and started pressing the buttons on the remote. “There’s nothing
worth watching on TV.”
    He lay down next to her and embraced her. He
rested his head gently on her shoulder. Then he