It wasn’t a typical graduation day for Bella. There was no walking down an aisle in an oversized graduation gown and hat to receive a diploma. No pomp and circumstance; no glitz and glamour. Instead, Bella was woken by an overly-cheerful Belie. Her sister had returned to New York the day before, just in time to wake Bella with breakfast in bed.
“Are you kidding me?” Bella had asked, laughing. She’d rolled her eyes and scoffed but, in truth, she’d appreciated the sweet gesture. Just after noon, Bella was at the animal shelter, going about feeding all of their furry residents. When her phone rang, she couldn’t answer immediately, but called back as soon as she had the chance. “Bella!” Belie exclaimed on the other line. “There’s a big package here for you from St. John’s University of Animal Sciences. I couldn’t resist opening it. Don’t be mad. But it’s your diploma!” Bella had been close to reprimanding Belie just before she told her not to be mad, but she’d immediately forgotten to be angry. “My… diploma? It’s there already? But…” “Yes. It says right here: Isabella Kaylee Barthel. Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Management. You have your degree Bella!” For a moment, Bella just stood there with a goofy grin on her face. Then she said, “Wow. Uhm… I’m gonna get you later for snooping in my mail.” She chuckled. “But that’s great news. Thanks, sis. We’ll celebrate tonight okay? I gotta go.” She thanked her twice again and then hung up. Her steps were quick as she headed towards Nathan’s office. He was hard at work as usual, but after knocking, Bella peeked in and said, “I have my diploma. I did it.” She beamed proudly. She’d succeeded in something that she’d put her mind to. Something else had worked out for her. Her bad luck seemed to be completely gone. Thank the Gods.
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“Trick-or-treat!” came a chorus of voices from the hallway of the apartment building. Bella remained perched on her couch, all of the lights off, except for the small lamp on the side table that was illuminating her text book. Fow hours, Bella had been ignoring the cute little voices that came to her door in search of candies. Not only did Bella lack candies, but she also didn’t care much for halloween. Sure, when she was a kid she absolutely loved dressing up and even going to costume parties. Now it all just seemed like a nuisance.
As the new set of kids moved on to other doors, she refocused on her studies. But soon her phone alerted her of a text. She opened a message from Rico. Attached there were pictures of her four nieces and her nephew, all dressed up for trick-or-treating. Admittedly, they all looked cute. And she’d been invited to go with them, but she still felt it was best not to become too involved in the lives of her siblings and their families. She was stable lately, but still didn't feel too comfortable with them for prolonged amounts of time. “They’re adorable. Hope they get lots of candy,” she replied. She hit send before focusing once again on her textbook. Soon was one of her final exams and then she would get her degree in Wildlife Management just before Christmas. She was actually looking forward to taking a break from studying. Nathan had invited her over for Christmas, and she was especially looking forward to that. She tried to think back to the last time she’d celebrated Christmas, but it was lost in her memory. For so many years, it had not been quite into the family celebrations. Even when she’d showed up at holiday events, her mind was never quite there. This year, she would make an exception. She hoped to soon regain her love for the holidays. “Isa! Help!” said Bella, her blue eyes looking desperately at her sister’s face in the computer screen as she walked into her bedroom. “What’s wrong?” asked Isa. Bella set her laptop down on her bed and adjusted it so Isa could see her. Thank goodness for Skype or else she’d be doomed right now. “Nothing. Well, everything. I have a date tonight and you know.. I don’t do dates. I want to dress up, but… come on it’s me!” She pouted at the screen, nearly throwing a tantrum. “It’s not funny!” she exclaimed when Isa started laughing at her. Bella stood in front of her bed, her arms folded tightly across her chest. “Don’t make me jump through this screen and hit you.” Isa was still laughing. “Ok, ok no need to be so violent. You have dresses. I know you do. Choose a few and I’ll help you decide on which is the best one.” Bella pulled a face but eventually sighed and went to her closet. She did indeed have a lot of dresses, all were presents from her mother and even from Isa and Amanda. Why did he family insist on her wearing dresses all the time. A few she’d made use with for wedding and such, but she’d never truly cared about wearing one to look good… until today. There were knee-length dresses, thigh-length (hell no), and ones that were slightly longer. In addition, there were brighter coloured ones and more darker ones. Bella withdrew a knee-length violet dress and a black one that probably went all the way down to her ankles. She liked the subtlety of it and the simplicity as well. She showed them to Isa who asked, “Which would you feel most comfy wearing?” “The black,” said Bella, nodding. It didn’t draw as much attention as the violet. She hung it over her closet and then frowned at her reflection on the computer screen… that little disheveled picture in the corner of her screen. “Bloody hell…” she said, her fingers sliding into her unruly curls. “I look like a nightmare. What in the world?” Perhaps it was the humidity in the air from the morning rain, but her hair was curlier than usual. She would have to do quite a bit of fussing over it in order to get it into some sort of manageable state. “Just straighten it,” said Isa. “Stop freaking out.” Bella growled at the screen, making Isa giggle. “Fine, fine,” she said. “I’ll straighten it. I’ll go now. I’ll call you so you can see the final product. Thanks! Bye!” She disconnected the call before Isa could even return the farewell. Bella hopped into the shower and then spent a few hours on just her hair. Once she’d gotten it straightened, just a few drop curls in the back, she donned the dress, slipped her feet into a pair of simple black heels and stood in front of the mirror. What a transformation it was. Though she wasn’t too confident in this whole… girly getup. She hoped it would be worth it in the end. Returning to her laptop, she accessed Skype and called Isa again. Once Isa’s face appeared on screen again, Bella walked backwards, giving Isa a chance to view her whole outfit. An excited squeal came from the laptop. “OMK, Bella! You look so preeeeeetty! Did you put makeup on? You gotta put some makeup on! Maybe some lipgloss and mascara.”
“When Hades freezes over,” Bella mumbled. “Oh come on. Just a bit of lipgloss. Your boyfriend would love it,” she said, putting emphasis on boyfriend. It made Bella’s heart flutter and she couldn’t help but smirk at the screen. “You’re annoying, you know that?” she asked, though Isa knew her better than to take it personally. Bella smiled fondly at her meanwhile. “Fine. A little bit of lipgloss, but no mascara. And besides,” she added with a playful glint in her eyes. “My eyelashes are long enough.” Isa giggled. “And your eyes are that dreamy blue shade tonight. So perfect!” She squealed again. Bella laughed. “Yeah they might be grey or something by the time Nathan gets here. But speaking of… I gotta go. Thanks again!” This time she let Isa say goodbye before she hung up. As she was standing in front of the mirror again, she heard a knock on the door and Ramsey’s barking, alerting her that Nathan was there. She opened the door at last, smiling nervously at Nathan. "Hi," she said, then her jaw nearly dropped. He looked so, so handsome in his dress shirt, jacket and trousers. She had to say it aloud. "You look.. .very handsome," she smiled at him. "Hey.." His eyes focused on hers, a smile on his face too. "You're beautiful yourself, Isabella." For once, Bella’s insomnia was the result of something much more pleasant than her usual worries. She lay awake, smiling up at the ceiling. Like one of those giddy girls, she thought. She rolled her eyes at her own thoughts but the smile never once left her lips. Life had taken a turn for the better. Her condition was stable as she maintained her medication regimen, back in Tennessee her professor had offered her a dream opportunity--one the could include Nathan if they played their cards right--and soon she would receive her degree in Wildlife Management. Who would’ve thought that she would find happiness? And when she least expected it! Who would’ve thought that she would be lying in bed, smiling about some guy?
Rolling onto her side, Bella closed her eyes and tried to force herself to sleep, but she couldn’t manage it. In Tennessee, being away from Nathan for two months had lead to the realisation that things just didn’t feel right without him nearby. There was this strange, empty feeling which was only remediated by returning to New York. Maybe it was much needed time apart, because he shared these feelings. Despite all of the happiness welling up inside of her, part of her still feared that she was less than Nathan deserve. She was far from girlfriend material, though neither of them had labeled their relationship as such. She knew that even though things seemed stable, there were still demons in her closet--things she would always struggle with. Was it really fair to allow someone that close to the recurrent madness of her life? But he’d said it himself: he wasn’t afraid of her. He didn’t care that she was far from perfect. He'd accepted her for who she was. The smile returned to her lips, and on this thought she finally drifted off. The field trip that had been planned for the following day had been intercepted by a real emergency call. Just when Bella had retired to her room for the night, there was an announcement over the intercom, calling certain interns, Bella included, to the front entrance. In no time, the selected interns and team members loaded several items into a couple of pick-up trucks and piled into the vehicles. Adrenaline was like a drug. Bella couldn’t feel exhaustion nor pain even as the rope around her waist tightened. She was standing just in front of a mass of boulders in the river, knee deep in rushing rapids. A colt had somehow gotten himself caught between the boulders, and after the rescuers managed to get his leg free, he’d flailed out of their grip and into the strong current. “Careful!” one of the rescuers called out to Bella as she handed the rope to Seymour. He was also anchored with a rope around his waist and it took him a great deal of strength not to get washed away by the strong currents. While Seymour attempted to get the lasso around the colt’s torso, the creature tried to buck free. Logs were flowing rapidly past Seymour and the colt. They had to get him out fast before he was even more badly injured. The rest of the team were busy laying down plywood and covering the plywood with tarp to make some sort of ramp to pull the colt to safety. With teamwork, they all managed to pull the small horse back onto the bank of the river. He was in pretty bad shape and his leg was definitely broken. Bella frowned at the condition of the colt. She hoped with everything she had that they wouldn’t decide to euthanize the creature. He was young; he would heal. “Isabella,” said Seymour as the colt bucked and tried to escape, even with only three working legs. He’d seen Bella work with the animals on the farm and had taken to calling her the Animal Whisperer. Bella found it quite amusing, but in this situation, she hoped to have luck on her side. “Hey,” she said, keeping low as she moved towards the colt. “It’s alright. We’re not here to harm you. I promise. These nice people, as invasive and annoying as they may seem. They’re just here to help.” The colt actually seemed to be listening. Or maybe he was just waiting for the right opportunity to run off. Bella reached into her pocket, pulling out a couple of sugar cubes and offering it to the colt. The colt was shaky on his feet and it was obvious that he was malnourished. Who knew what he’d been through. Abandoned by her herd possibly. Or maybe she just wandered too far away from them. “Believe it or not, I know just how you feel… Yeah… That’s a good boy,” said Bella. The colt took the sugar cube and the team members took the opportunity to drape him in another tarp. He needed to be dried and kept warm. Despite the warm summer, the water was cold and it seemed he’d been in the water for quite some time. Hours passed before they were able to get the young horse lifted into the rescue truck and back to the ranch. Bella was beyond exhausted by the time she got back to her room. Her roommate was chatting endlessly, excited about this rescue opportunity, when all Bella wanted to do was take a shower, nurse her achy leg and climb into bed. There were just a couple of days left of this trip, but Bella felt satisfied and ready to go home. As she climbed into bed that night, she remembered to send a text to Belie, telling her she’d call tomorrow. Then her final text was sent to Nathan with a picture attached. Guess who helped save a colt’s life today. xD Super rewarding but super exhausted. Tired. Leg hurts. Just a few more days… Sweet dreams! As she drifted off, she couldn’t help but think: I can definitely see myself doing this for the rest of my life.
“I studied animal behaviour and started taking some classes in wildlife management back in London,” said Bella, answering Professor Seymour’s question. He was asking too many. Bella was sitting at the picnic table outside with Seymour and a few other interns he’d wanted to chat with. Everyone was gawking at her as though she was a rare specimen herself. Bella cocked an eyebrow at them. “I didn’t get my degree or anything, but I studied for two years, one year each and could’ve very well gotten my degree or a certification, but life happened.”
“Very impressive,” said Seymour. “So you’re aiming for what degree now, exactly?” “Veterinary Technology and Wildlife Management.” “A dual degree,” he said, raising his eyebrows. “And what do you intend to do with that? Go into rehabilitation or become a vet tech?” “Both,” said Bella. The other interns looked at her as though she were crazy now. “Wouldn’t that be difficult?” asked one of the guys. “I mean being a vet tech is almost as demanding as being a full-time veterinarian, not to mention animal rehabilitation. And besides, you need to be in a full 4-year programme to become a vet tech.” “Actually, they can go hand in hand,” said Bella. “Wildlife come in for rehabilitation due to physical damage, don’t they? So they’d need veterinary help.” “But as a tech you can’t offer that help on your own. And you’ve only completed two years.” “I won’t be on my own.” She was staring back at the guy now. How old was he? Like 19? He was probably one of those who started school early and took summer and winter classes just to get through school quickly. He probably thought he was some genius because of it, and that he could outwit Bella. “I’m graduating with my degree in Wildlife Management this year, and next year I’ll be a fully certified vet tech. Because of my studies in animal behaviour back in London, I’ll have my associates degree once I finish this last round of courses and a lot of my course credits were transferred from London.” The intern fell silent. Bella could’ve sworn she saw a ghost of a smirk on Seymour’s face. Bella was tired of talking to these people. She wanted to retire to her room for a few hours until it was her turn to feed the foal that they’d delivered a few days ago. “May I be excused?” she asked. She stood up from the table before being granted permission and walked away. All she wanted to do was learn. She had no intention of being social with these people who wished to debate. But not too long after she arrived in her room, there was a knock on her door. She opened it and was surprised to see her professor there. “I’d like to talk to you more about your education and future plans,” he told her. “You have a lot of potential.” Outside of Nashville, Tennessee was certainly different than NYC. The farther the Coach bus drove away from the city, the wider the open spaces grew. Soon, Bella and the other interns were marveling at the vast meadows.
“If you look to your right, you will see a small herd of wild horses,” Professor Seymour pointed out. Bella turned to the right and her eyes widened at the beautiful sight. “Eventually, we will be going out to observe them and offer any care needed. Sometimes they have injuries and other more threatening conditions that need attention, so every month or so volunteers from the ranch go out there to offer their help.” Wow, Bella thought. So they would possibly get a chance at wildlife rescue after all. She couldn’t wait to tell Nathan. A small smile curled around her lips and her fingers automatically moved to her mouth. Her smile grew wider at the memory of Nathan’s lips there. It was just a small peck, but so tender, so… meaningful. Bella had to roll her eyes at her own mushiness. She wasn’t one to dwell on such small details, but this didn’t feel so small. It was perhaps the most memorable farewell she’d ever gotten. Her heart felt tight all of a sudden. Two months without seeing and working alongside Nathan. She would miss adoption day at the shelter--the kittens and other animals would be finding their homes. She’d asked Nathan to send her pictures and make sure that her favourite kitten ‘Blondie’ was given to someone who could give her the attention she demanded. She’d been lost in her thoughts when the landscape drew her attention again. She could see a large house in the distance, surrounded by acres and acres of land and… were those horses? “Welcome to the ranch,” their professor announced, standing at the front of the bus again. “This will be your home for the next two months.” Two months... it better be worth it. “Ugh,” Bella grunted, turning her phone off. Belie had been spamming her all day, reminding her that she needed to go to the psychiatrist to refill her prescription. The girl was right. She was younger than Bella, and once upon a time, she’d been an apprentice, but lately, Bella wondered who was taking care of whom.
It was amazing how Belie had started off as a teen, wanting to know all there was to know about botany and now she knew even more than Bella did. Belie, despite all the spam she’d been sending Bella, would be working overtime tonight, granting Bella some time at home to think. But perhaps… “Okay,” she told herself. “Belie’s growing up and I need to do the same.” She turned her cell phone on and glanced at the clock on the wall. Her shift was ending soon and she needed to make sure the animals were settled before leaving. As she walked through the kennel room, making sure all the animals were fine, she called the psychiatrist’s office. “Hello,” she said when the receptionist answered. Her throat was already tight. “I’d like to make an appointment for a consult? When is the soonest I can come in?” She stopped and squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself not to chicken out and hang up. “Seven PM?!” she almost shouted. "Tonight?" The woman explained that the slot had just become vacant and the next available time was days from now. Bella sighed and took the appointment. She finished checking on the animals and headed outside for a smoke. It was just a consult to refill her prescription. Mere protocol. But why was she so terrified? She almost wanted to cry. As she walked back into the building, she nearly ran into Nathan. He looked at her, concerned, and asked her what was going on. Bella bit her lip for a moment before practically blurting out, “Do you mind giving me a ride to the shrink?” What she really wanted to say was: I can use the help. I want the help. By now, though, he could read between the lines. |
Isabella Kaylee DwyerWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2017
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