8-Opportunities

**Saviera's POV**

Morning comes way too fast. My class starts in an hour and I haven't even rolled out of bed yet. Zuri left for work at eight o'clock and my class is at nine-thirty. After ten more minutes of being lazy, I get up, brush my teeth, and get coffee made. While it's brewing, I put on a pair of white joggers, my new black crop top that really just looks like a tight t-shirt that shows off a portion of my abdomen. I brush my hair out and throw it up into a messy bun with some strands of hair kept down to frame my face. I slip on my black Nike Air Force 1 shoes, grab my book bag, keys, and coffee before walking out the door. The school is only about ten minutes away, but I hate walking alone and it's hot outside, so I decided to drive.
I get to the school and head to the classroom. I wonder if it'll be awkward since Zuri and I had hung out with Professor Laurens. When I get to the classroom, I realize he isn't here yet, but I take my seat anyway. I'm only 6 minutes early, so everyone should be showing up any second. Professor Laurens walks through the door maybe two seconds later and his eyes rake over me. I don't even think he realizes how hard he's gazing at me right now, but I say, "Good morning, Professor Laurens. How was your weekend?"
"Morning, Saviera. It was nice, I made a new friend, actually." He replied.
I laugh because I know he's talking about Zuri. I wonder if he really is going to come hang out this weekend.
"My girlfriend made a new friend this weekend too. We're all supposed to go out this weekend. That is, if he doesn't chicken out." I challenge.
He grinned and said, "I have a feeling the poor guy is in for a crazy night. I'm sure he wouldn't miss it."
Other students started to arrive, so we ended the conversation. I wouldn't say this is awkward, but there is something different in the air and I know he can feel it too.

**Zuri"s POV**

Today is such a hectic day. The first two patients just needed a regular cleaning and were sent on their way. After that, we started getting some pretty nasty cases. One teenager had to get three adult teeth pulled because they eat so much sugar, drink loads of soda, and clearly don't brush their teeth. Some people don't realize this, but soda and sugar causes the same amount of damage, if not more than, as meth and other hard drugs. I will never understand parents who do not enforce proper teeth cleaning for their children and decent diet. One thing I love about the dentist I work for is we take care of issues immediately. At other places, if something is wrong with the patient, a new appointment is made for another day to take care of it. Since this teenager has three dead teeth and an infection in his gum, we pulled them today, filled in a few cavities, and Dr. Drew wrote a prescription for an antibiotic. We are careful to not schedule too many patients in a day so that we can take care of those issues that pop up. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we schedule people who make appointments for issues and Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are for cleanings. Of course we fix issues on cleaning days as well, but that's why we have extended hours on those days. I'm always off by four-thirty, but the office stays open until seven o'clock.
Dr. Drew is a thirty-five year old man, about six feet, two inches tall, with a clean shaved face and light brown hair. He kind of resembles Chris Evans, the man who plays Captain America. He's a great boss and pays his employees well, so I can imagine retiring from here when I'm old. we close the office to take our lunch break at twelve o'clock and Dr. Drew asked the staff to go out with him. He also said he has an announcement to make. Another reason I like working here is because we take lunch for an hour and a half since we stay open longer than normal. We decide to go to my mom's restaurant because it's too good to pass up. My mom realized I was there so she came over to talk.
"Hey honey! I'm so glad you all came in today." She said and put a kiss on my head.
"Hey, Mom. We're hungry for something delicious, so we knew this was the place to go." I said.
Dr. Drew said, "Hello, Mrs. Delva. How are you today?"
"I'm doing great. What drinks can I start everyone off with?" I order an ice water, Dr. Drew gets sweet tea, and my other two coworkers, Ellie and Hannah get waters as well.
Ellie says, "So what's the big announcement? The anticipation is killing me."
"I agree. You have us all on edge. Spill it." Hannah says with her normal charm. She reminds me of Sav sometimes. I just sit there smiling and waiting patienly.
"Alright, alright. I don't think there's an easy way to say this, but I'm thinking about retiring early. Not this year, but within the next ten years for sure. That might seem like a long time from now, but we all know how fast time goes and I know you all plan to stay employed with me for more than ten years. I'll need someone to take over for me because I don't want to trust the office with just anyone. Zuri, you've worked for me for almost two years now and you're the main one who assists me during procedures. Would you consider going back to school and extending your education to become a doctor? You already have so much experience under your belt and you're actually passionate about this work. You're the kind of person that I want to share my business with. We would be co-owners and I could still help with the hands-off side of work. I don't want to sacrifice everything I worked so hard to build and I wanted to give you enough time to make a decision and form your own plan." He said.
I'm at a loss for words. My mom brings our drinks to us and asks if we are ready to order.
"I'm ready! Could I have a beef patty with a side of rice and peas." Hannah says.
Ellie goes next, "I'll have curry goat and yams, please."
My mom looks at me and says, "We don't do protein shakes, so order some real food." I give her a smile and say, "Oh I already know. I will take the jerk chicken with Diri ak Djon Djon, please." She nodded her head in approval because she knows I don't eat much. Her food is too good to pass up though.
Dr. Drew is last, "I will take Ackee and cod fish, please."
"Okay, I will get this right out for you guys."
"Thanks, Mom."
"So what do you think, Zuri?" Dr. Drew asks.
"This is a lot to think about. I am very honored that the opportunity is being presented to me and that my hard work is appreciated, but this is huge. Is it okay if I take a couple of days to think about this and talk to Sav?"
"Absolutely. I wouldn't want you to rush into something like this without thinking it over first." He replied.
We make conversation until the food arrives and it tastes absolutely delicious, like always. Dr. Drew insisted on paying for everyone and we head back to the office right on time. The rest of the day drags on, but I think it's because I'm excited to take Jax and Chandler out for ice cream. 4:30 finally comes around and I head home.