Then he darts out and I sit there startled, in the silence of the office. How in the world did Samuel hit his head? What a weird turn of events. Despite his lack of social graces, that doesn’t mean I want him to die! Was there a puddle of water on the floor? This must be a slip and fall.
But then, a knock sounds on the door and a paramedic pokes his head in. The older man looks weary and asks, “Ma’am, are you with a Mr. Samuel Coleman?”
I nod dumbly.
“Yes, I’m his dinner companion.” The paramedic nods and comes in with a clipboard in hand.
“Great. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions about the patient?”
I nod. “Of course not. No problem.”
He nods. “Name?”
I swallow.
“I’m Primrose Talbot, and my date’s name is Samuel Coleman. We’re just here for dinner.”
The medic nods while scribbling on the clipboard.
“Did Mr. Coleman show symptoms of being ill earlier in the evening?”
I nod.
“He had runny nose, but not much more than that. Well, he was clammy and pale too and then about fifteen or twenty minutes into dinner, his face started to turn gray. That’s when he excused himself.”
The paramedic nods, still scribbling.
“Do you know of any medications he might be on?”
I shake my head.
“No. We don’t know each other that well, but he’s never mentioned any.”
The paramedic doesn’t even look up.
“Any conditions he might have? Diabetes, hypertension, high blood pressure?”
I shake my head.
“No. Actually, I don’t know because honestly, I don’t know much about Samuel. He’s a family friend but we were never really friendly, if you know what I mean.”
The paramedic nods.
“Understood. Miss Talbot, did Mr. Coleman talk about any drugs he was using?”
I bite my lip, expecting the worst.
“No, he never discussed that with me. But is that what happened? Was Samuel on drugs?”
The paramedic sighs and puts down his clipboard before shooting me a weary glance.
“Miss Talbot, Mr. Coleman just experienced an overdose. The restaurant staff found him in the men’s room unconscious and were only able to help him because evidently, this has happened before. They administered Narcan immediately, and that probably saved his life.”
I stare at the medic.
“Narcan?” I manage in a trembling voice.
The paramedic sighs and nods.
“Yes, Narcan is an opioid antagonist, meaning that it rapidly reverses an opioid overdose.”
I can barely breathe.
“But what did you mean when you said this has happened before?”
The medic shrugs while flipping through the pages of his clipboard again.
“This isn’t the first time Mr. Coleman’s overdosed at Lalita. It’s happened one or two times previously, and as a result, the staff knows what to do. I understand they keep Narcan on hand for him, specifically. I wasn’t the one on shift when it happened before, but Mr. Coleman’s medical records are clear. He has a dependency that’s incredibly serious, and needs to get into treatment. Do you know his family?”
I stammer before choking out, “A little. Again, he’s a family friend, so my parents know his parents.”
The medic nods.
“Okay, well we’ll be in touch because his family needs to be informed. In the meantime, can I get your contact information in case there are further questions?”
I nod, still in shock at this turn of events.
“Yes, of course,” I manage in a weak voice. “I’m happy to help.”
With that, the paramedic takes my info and rises.
“Thank you for your assistance, Miss Talbot. The hospital will be in touch. Have a nice evening.”
Then, he leaves and I’m left gawping in the small office by myself. What the hell was that? Of course, I suspected that Samuel had a dependency, but it’s shocking to find out that this isn’t his first time OD’ing. Even worse, it seems the restaurant staff is used to it. They keep Narcan on hand just for him!
But then relief floods my frame and I slump a bit in my chair. Not because the worst has passed, but rather because surely, my parents wouldn’t want me to marry a drug addict, would they? That would be beyond the pale and despite the horrible outcome of this date, I’m relieved and even a tiny bit happy. Unfortunately, my small spark of happiness doesn’t have long to live because when I get home, it’s snuffed out by something even worse.
2
Prim
The next day is quiet. I expect my mother or my father will ask me all about what happened during my date with the Colemans’ son, but they remain curiously uninterested. Instead, Victoria merely puts her hand on mine during breakfast.
“Where did he take you, honey?”
I grimace.
“To Lalita in NoHo.”
Victoria sighs, her eyes going dreamy.
“That’s such an expensive restaurant, and to think he got reservations too! What a nice boy!”
I grimace again. Little do they know how “nice” Samuel is. I open my mouth to begin relaying the gruesome tale, but Victoria then begins babbling about her upcoming shopping trip while my dad snaps his newspaper loudly. My younger sister, Magnolia, shoots me a sympathetic smile. She knows how impossible our parents can be.