Page 64 of Switch!

“I won’t be able to perform.”

Colin nudges him. “You’ve never had an issue with that before. And while the blinds weren’t a massive hit, I did like what we did after you installed them.”

Jesse smiles, his chest filling with warmth. “I remember.”

The commercial break is over. They resume watching TV. Jesse doesn’t seem to be paying attention. I’m having trouble separating his thoughts from my own, probably because we keep thinking of the same thing. Lunch with Sarah. As it turns out, we’re not the only ones.

Colin grabs the remote to lower the volume. “What made you go to a restaurant today? You always come home and make a sandwich because—”

“It saves money,” Jesse finishes for him. “I don’t know why. The urge was overwhelming. And get this, it was a barbecue joint.”

“What? You never like those places!”

The poor guy made himself eat the pulled chicken sandwich I ordered so it wouldn’t go to waste, but he didn’t enjoy it. Neither did I. Different taste buds, I guess, because I used to love them.

“Hear me out,” Colin says, shifting on the couch to face us. “I think more than mere coincidence led you to this girl. You should go to the psychic fair.”

“The what?”

“The psychic fair,” Colin repeats. “They have them in Seattle every month. A coworker of mine always goes. She spoke with the ghost of Albert Einstein at the last one. Turns out we got his theory of relativity wrong. He told her the ‘E’ stands for environment, and the ‘mc’ is for ‘make change’ or something similar.”

Jesse rolls his eyes. “No thanks.”

“What? You don’t believe in global warming?”

Jesse fixes him with a gaze. “Science is real. The ghost of Albert Einstein is not.”

Colin laughs. “I know, I know. But it’s notallbullshit. My coworker had a tarot card reading that said a family member was about to die. Three days later, her great aunt bit the dust.”

“Hmm.” Jesse doesn’t sound convinced.

“Maybe they can test you somehow. See if you have latent abilities. At least buy a lottery ticket. That creepy manager is making eyes at me again. I’m basically a damsel in distress, and I need you to rescue me. With money.”

Jesse snorts. “I’ll think about it.”

I can tell he’s already dismissed the idea, but I’m interested. Maybe someone there can help me understand what I’m going through. Most of the psychics are probably charlatans, sure, but I can’t exactly consult with medical professionals. They’ll think I’m insane, and even if I convince them otherwise, I don’t want to end up as an experiment. At the very least, it’s a lead. If I can’t find the answers I need at the psychic fair, then maybe someone can point me in the right direction.

— — —

“Unit Six, priority two, proceed to fifteen twenty-eight East Sheridan Street. Potential overdose.”

The call comes in over the radio, the address popping up on the computer monitor between the ambulance’s front seats. Stan flips a switch on the console, then grabs the radio’s handheld microphone to respond to the dispatch operator.

“Potential overdose?” he repeats, grinning over at me. “Are we talking drugs or fajitas? Because we’re tired of explaining to people that they have heartburn and aren’t, in fact, dying.”

The dispatch is unshakingly robotic in her response. “Substance is unknown. Emergency was reported by a child.”

The grin slides off Stan’s face. “A child?”

“He sounded young,” the operator replies in a tone that is more human. “When I asked how old he was, he said ‘I’m this many’ like he was holding up his fingers for me to see.”

“A little one.” Stan flips a different switch to activate the siren. “We’re on our way.” He puts the ambulance in drive but keeps his foot on the brake pedal while studying me. “You ready?”

Jesse nods. “Let’s go.”

This is his first full day back on the job. I can feel his anxiety. I’m nervous too but also excited. My only previous exposure to an ambulance was the blurry and confusing night of the accident. I’m clearheaded now and eager to learn what the life of a paramedic entails. Especially after the doldrum of the past week.

Jesse and Colin lead very normal lives, I’ve discovered. They bicker, they flirt, they watch TV, clean the apartment, pay bills, and worry about the future. I always imagined the lives of gay people as more exotic, each night spent at a vibrant club full of dancing dudes and lip-synching drag queens. Jesse does have a few memories like that, mostly while on vacation. Otherwise, aside from dating someone of the same gender, his life is indistinguishable from that of most other people.