Chapter 2

Elise

First week of class is always overwhelming, because they tell you all the expectations, assignments, exams, and in this case, nursing school clinicals. Since I’m a senior I have 4 different clinical rotations this semester and the last one is called Capstone. Capstone is basically like working for free, no worse, you pay the college to work at a place of employment under the supervision of a licensed nurse. Your preceptor, the person you work with, evaluates you on your Capstone performance. There is also a lengthy paper to be written after each clinical experience and an even lengthier paper after the Capstone. The papers consist of research before the clinical, details about the experience, and then a critique of your experience. I learned last year when I started my nursing core classes, I had to learn to prioritize by taking projects and assignments one day at a time and do what is due next. If I look at everything on the syllabuses all at one time, it is overwhelming. If I look at a couple days at a time or one week at a time, then it’s much more doable. My phone beeps as I sit on my bed, looking over my schedule for the rest of the week. Evie: What ya doing? Elise: Hi Evie!! I’m just looking at my schedule for this semester. To what do I owe this honor? Evie: I just miss you. Mom is driving me crazy. Elise: Lol Same shit, different day? Evie: Yeah, pretty much. This semester I am lucky enough to have classes only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Next semester I will have classes everyday, so I will focus on this semester now and worry about next when it comes. One semester at a time.

Evie: When are you coming home again? Elise: Well, we just had Labor Day. I only have a few days off now until Thanksgiving in November. What's your schedule like? Evie: Could I come there? We will have a 4 day weekend in early October. PLEASE???? Elise sighs and thinks about her schedule again before she answers. Elise has always tried to be there for her siblings. Evelyn (Evie) has always wanted to spend more time with Elise than her twin brother Everette. It made sense I guess since she is a girl. Well, maybe we could make it work… Elise gets up and walks out to talk to Andrea about the idea before she gets her sister’s hopes up. Andrea as always, was agreeable to Elise’s sister coming and even her brother if she would like. Elise has offered her brother to stay before, but he has not come since the June before Sophomore year when Elise first moved into the house with four female roommates. Maybe there was simply too much Estrogen in the house for Rett (Everette)? He was in junior high at the time, but was now a sophomore in high school. According to Evie, Rett as he preferred to be called, has a girlfriend and is playing football for the high school varsity team. Rett is a 6” tall, broad shoulder, muscular kid, and had earned a starting position as a defensive lineman. Mom had said that as one of two sophomores starting this year, Rett was very proud that all his weight lifting last summer had paid off. Evie said Rett has even been dating. This from the little guy who said, “eww,” when kissed and that “girls have cooties.” Elise: Do you know what days you are off in October? Evie: The first weekend I am off Thursday-Sunday. Elise: Okay, I’ll check my work schedule and let you and Mom know. Deal? Evie: Oh please Eli...I need to get away from here for awhile. Man, She must really want a break if she is resorting to calling me Eli. When we were growing up, I hated being called Elise so my siblings of course did it to irritate me. Whenever Evelyn wanted to get into my good graces or asked me for a favor, she would then call me Eli because she was trying to please me. Such a schemer my little sister is. Elise: I promise I will do my best to get it off. If I have to work, do you want to come anyway? You could stay at the house for the hours I’m gone? Evie: Oh yes PLEASE sister dear. Elise: Okay, I’ll do my best. Love you little blister. Evie: Love you more big blister!!! :0)~ I couldn’t help but smile to myself, after ending the conversation with Evie. As toddlers, my little twin siblings were a huge pain in the a$$, and that started me calling them “blisters,” since blisters also hurt. I quickly dialed Mom to make sure she was okay with Evie coming to stay. Evie was now 15, so staying here while I was at work wasn’t a big deal. Andrea was usually around anyway, and since she didn’t have siblings, she had really enjoyed spoiling mine last time they were here. Of course that was two years ago. Holding the phone to my ear, I listened to the dial tone. Of course it rolled over to voicemail since it was after 9pm. Mom generally went to bed by 9pm. I left a quick message, “ Mom, hi there. It’s Eli, of course. I heard from Evie tonight and she would like to come see me the first weekend of October. She said she is off

school from Wednesday night until Monday morning. So, wondering if she could ride a travel bus or if you would rather meet part way to bring her and get her home again? Please check your calendar and let me know. Love you bunches.” In MN, pretty much all roads lead either to Rochester or to the Twin Cities. There was a coach bus route that was a straight shot from my hometown, two hours, to Rochester. This may be the easiest and cheapest option if Mom is still on overtime at work. After I hung up, I took a quick shower, threw on my pajamas, got my clothes out for the morning, set my alarm on my phone for 5am so I could make it by 7am to clinical orientation, and climbed into bed with my laptop to study the clinical handbook for the quiz always given at the end of the first day. I continued to read until almost 11pm before turning off my laptop, setting it on my bedside table and rolling over to sleep.