#medical tourism courses

[amarpatil1]

Symbiosis School for Online and Digital Learning pune provides a medical tourism courses. Which designed to produce leaders in global healthcare

[timeisacephalopod]

When American politicians discuss doing universal healthcare in their country and start whining about the possibility of "medical tourism" where people would theoretically go to America to get healthcare I want to scream and shake them. That already exists- Canada is where Americans went to get their fucking insulin because their own government failed them so hard another country nearly had an insulin shortage a few times over the course of the pandemic alone.

If you want to talk about medical tourism and that """"straining""""" the American healthcare system then maybe take a look at the way Americans are consistently causing strains to Canada's healthcare!! And I assume Americans don't just travel here for healthcare either, so when American politicians act like they're Just The Best and everyone will go to America for healthcare I want to be like THE ISSUE YOURE BITCHING ABOUT EXISTS AND ITS NOT HAPPENING TO YOU ITS HAPPENING TO CANADA AND ITS BECAUSE YOU REFUSE TO ADEQUATELY SERVICE YOUR POPULATION AND MORE THAN ONCE CANADIAN DIABETICS WERE THE ONES WHO'D SUFFER FOR IT. Like you want to talk medical tourism without ever acknowledging your population using other countries healthcare, which I guess is fine because it's not America footing the bill, really?

[medicaltourism-business]

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3 Ways to Reduce Liability for Medical Tourism Facilitators

Protecting your medical tourism business is essential. This video dives into effective ways to safeguard your operations and ensure client safety. Discover the steps to reduce risk and maintain high standards in your services.

[tahacollege]

Diploma In Toronto

Taha College offers a range of diploma in toronto such as 

diploma in accounting,

diploma in payroll

diploma in business,

diploma in tax, diploma in early childcare assistance course, diploma in international business administration, diploma in hospitality, diploma in tourism, pg diploma in business analysis, pg diploma in projects management, pg diploma in service management, diploma in office administration, diploma in medical office administration, diploma in medical aesthetics,

[juhimehraposts]

Certificate Course in Medical Tourism Online

Medical tourism firms will agree that industry expertise and constant learning are the foundations of operating a thriving enterprise. It is ideal to find one of the best learning platforms to enrol yourself in a certificate course in medical tourism online.

[beguines]

The Indian state has already begun to evict indigenous communities from their homes. In late 2020, tribal communities received notice that labeled their homes as illegally occupying forest land. Their homes were demolished. This bears an eerie resemblance to Israel's targeting of Bedouin communities of Naqab, where Israel gave the lands of these communities to Jewish settlers and the military. The logic of Bedouin dispossession was premised on the fact that as nomads, they had no right to the land.

In Kashmir, these communities were living on lands that the Indian state wanted to use for the development of tourist infrastructure. Part of the plan is to transfer agricultural land to Indian state and private corporations. Kashmir has already lost 78,700 hectares of agricultural land to non-agricultural purposes between 2015–19. This decline in agricultural land—which a majority of Kashmiris still rely upon as the foundation of their economy—will disempower farmers, result in a loss of essential crops, make Kashmir less agriculturally self-sufficient, and create grounds for economic collapse in the near future. It is of course, only when Kashmiris are economically devastated that India's job in securing their land will be made even easier.

Alongside the destruction of agricultural land, the Indian government has also been charged with "ecocide" in Kashmir, which, "masked under the development rhetoric . . . destroys the environment without care, extracting resources and expanding illegal infrastructure as a way of contesting the indigenous peoples' right of belonging and using the territory for their own gain." During the lockdown in late 2019, the valley saw unprecedented forest clearances. In June 2020, the Jammu & Kashmir Forest Department became a government-owned corporation, allowing it to sell public forest land to private entities, including to Indian corporations. The rush to secure and extract Kashmir's resources has typically come at an immense cost to the region's vulnerable ecology, prompting local activists' fears that a lack of accountability will almost certainly exacerbate the climate crisis in South Asia. Just as Israel has secured control over Palestinian resources, India's stranglehold of Kashmir's natural resources and interference with the environment will ultimately make Kashmiris dependent on the Indian state for their livelihoods.

All of these shifts in land use reflect the "Srinagar Master Plan 2035," which "proposes creating formal and informal housing colonies through town planning schemes as well as in Special Investment Corridors," primarily for the use of Indian settlers and outside investors. Indeed, the Indian government has signed a series of MOU's with outside investors to alter the nature of the state by building multiplexes, educational institutions, film production centers, tourist infrastructure, Hindu religious sites, and medical industries. Kashmiri investors are no competition for massive Indian and external corporations and have a fundamental disadvantage in investing in land banks that the government has apportioned toward these purposes. Back to back lockdowns have resulted in massive economic losses for Kashmir's industries, including tourism, handicrafts, horticulture, IT, and e-commerce. Furthermore, "as with other colonial powers, Indian officials are participating in international investment summits parroting Kashmir as a 'Land of Opportunity', setting off a scramble for Kashmir's resources, which will cause further environmental destruction." India has always kept a close eye on Kashmir's water resources and its capabilities to generate electricity, while intentionally depriving Kashmir of the electricity it produces.

As more economic and employment opportunities are opened up to Indian domiciles, Kashmiris will also be deprived of what little job security they had. In sum, "neoliberal policies come together with settler colonial ambitions under continued reference to private players, industrialization and development, with the 'steady flow of wealth outwards.'"

Azad Essa, Hostile Homelands: The New Alliance Between India and Israel

[justinspoliticalcorner]

David Pepper at Pepperspectives:

Don’t be fooled. Not for a moment. JD Vance and Trump are suddenly and desperately trying to run away from their extreme positions on abortion and reproductive freedom. But not only does Project 2025 propose a host of anti-abortion policies, and not only does Trump brag about eliminating Roe v. Wade, Trump himself openly embraces one of the most extreme and far-reaching anti-abortion views out there. To start, the HHS Section of Project 2025 is crystal clear—its mission is to protect life from “Day 1” of conception, endangering not just abortion access, but IVF and forms of contraception as well. And then it specifically bans medical abortions, the shipping of medicines (using a law from the 1870s), defunds Planned Parenthood, attacks what it calls “abortion tourism,” (clearly intending to stop travel for care), calls for tracking abortions in states, and other steps.

“Fetal Personhood”

But if you think all this is bad, wait until you see what the most extreme anti-abortion right wingers are now calling for. They call it the “fetal personhood” theory. And it’s basically the belief that the Constitution itself (the XIV Amendment) protects life at the moment of conception. Which means that you don’t even need a national abortion ban enacted through legislation—it could happen simply with Clarence Thomas and 4 of his buddies declaring that they agree with this theory in an opinions. (And of course, there are close ties to this theory and the Federalist Society which has taken over so much of the federal judiciary). And that would mean a national ban on abortion and IVF without one vote of Congress or any action by the president. It would happen by Court ruling. This would also allow 5 Justices to overturn state decisions (including by voters) to enshrine reproductive freedom into their Constitutions.

[...] So it’s not only Ralph Reed and the far right embracing this rogue and extreme theory which would ban abortion and IVF nationwide without even a law being passed… It’s Donald Trump himself. Sending as clear a signal as can be to a key part of his base. Which means what JD Vance said the other day is nonsense to get through an election. And what Trump said yesterday in Florida (about the Florida ballot initiative) conflicts with the very platform Trump names after himself on his own website. Which is why he is already walking back those comments.

David Pepper’s Substack piece on Donald Trump’s hypocrisy on abortion is a must-read, because it exposes how Trump talks out of both sides of his mouth (claiming to champion support for IVF while giving cover to those who support “fetal personhood”).

See Also:

The Guardian: ‘We wanna produce babies’: Trump tries to pitch himself as IVF supporter after Roe fall

The Present Age: How the Media Became a Mouthpiece for Trump’s Empty IVF Promise

[shotofstress]

People don't talk enough about how Nazi Germany (and now israel) learned and took most of its elements from usa. I'm surprised that usa ppl don't talk about this? No. I'm surprised that other ppl don't talk about? No, the usa manipulate and CIA workings is so well done that, even when having info at disposition, they don't know nor care bc anything that's is about the true nature of usa is called "commie propaganda".

During the Nuremberg Medical Trials or Doctors' Trial (officially United States of America v. Karl Brandt, et al.) , the human experiments made by usa were cited by the nazis as a justification for their doings and as example to follow really for their own experiments, tortures, and methods, namely the Malaria Experiments conducted by the Department of Medicine at the University of Chicago in conjunction with the United States Army and the State Department that was used as defence for what they did in the malaria experiments and tortures at Dachau concentration camp.

Not the only similarity with usa of course bc usa was the manual to follow as I said, the leading example of monstrosity. And it is to this day. Let's not forget how usa give South America STI, not only by sex tourism, but as an experiment (and to affect South America in general, let's be honest).

[corrodedseraphine]

jazz | one shot

pairing: eddie munson x fem!reader

summary: Eddie always felt that jazz was not his cup of tea, so when Steve offered to devote one evening a week just to it, he wasn't convinced. Until he met you. After all, jazz may not turn out to be so bad, right? angst/fluff, strangers to lovers

TW: use of drugs

the one shot is also avaliable on ao3

11 738 words

taglist: @i-me-mine and here I would love to thank you because you are the first person ever that have asked to be tagged under my work, it is crazy for me, and I really hope you won't be dissapointed 🙈

I really hope it is not too long or boring or cringe or too bad, in my head it looked much better, oh god

eddie munson masterlist | general masterlist

When the small town of Hawkins was almost all pulled underground in 1986, many people lost their entire livelihood and left the cursed place in terror and desperation. Thus, the population of Hawkins was reduced by more than half. It took years to try to rebuild it however nothing could return to normal. This disaster, nevertheless, brought something good. People all over the world wanted to see the town absorbed by the earth, so over time tourism became the main income. The place where the trailer park used to be was now the biggest attraction, with people lining up to see the most damaged part of the city, around which many legends appeared. The official version was an earthquake, but many people said it was hell's gate and the damage that had been done was caused by Satan himself. In a way, these beliefs were true, but not everyone needed to know that.

After defeating Vecna, Joyce and her children returned to Hawkins and moved in with Hopper. The rest of the team didn't leave either. The traumatic experience, instead of propelling them to escape, the bond with this town prevented them from doing so. When Eddie miraculously survived an attack by demobats and was carried out of there in an unconscious state by Steve and Dustin he spent several weeks in the hospital. Fortunately, with Hopper's help, they were able to guarantee that all medical expenses would be covered by the government so as not to burden Wayne with it. In addition, they both received very generous compensation. 

When it turned out that the owner of the Hideout, the bar where Corroded Coffin played every Thursday, was leaving town Eddie and Steve decided to buy the place back and invest in its development. In addition, above the bar was the apartment in which the Munsons took up residence. It was much larger than the trailer. A large living room connected to the kitchen, a bathroom and two separate rooms.

The first few years were very tough, but the more tourists showed up in Hawkins, the more the Hideout made a profit. Eventually the income was large enough that they could afford to renovate the place. Every night since then, many passersby and locals have treated the Hideout as one of the main social spots in and around Hawkins. Of course, Corroded Coffin didn't stop giving their performances, but in addition to them there were many different artists.

"No way!" shouted Eddie, sitting down on a stool at the bar. "I'm not going to let this place turn into a retirement home!"

"It's only one evening a week! Why do you have to be so dramatic?"

"Besides, there are young people in the world who like jazz you wuss," interjected Robin standing behind the bar. Despite being a manager, she claimed that standing behind the bar was one of her favorite activities. This was especially true when her newly hired bartender, Laura, was with her on shift.

"Fine! But only once a week. We can't afford to go more days without doing anything." he rolled his eyes.

"You'll be surprised how there will be even more people than at your concerts." laughed Steve pleased with his friend's agreement.

"A blow below the belt Harrington! A blow below the belt!"

To Munson's surprise, the Jazz evenings proved to be a success. Every week many people of all ages gathered there. He himself dreaded avoiding his workplace on this day, but today, exceptionally, due to the flurry of paperwork, he and Steve were stuck in the office, which was located in the back of the bar.

"I'm fed up, this paperwork is killing me." said Steve laying his head on the desk. "How about a little break?"

"It's totally like you're reading my mind, big boy." replied Eddie and quickly got up. When they came out, a large crowd of people appeared to their eyes. Almost all the seats were occupied. People were immersed in conversation sipping drinks and enjoying the pleasant sounds of trumpets, piano and other instruments. Scanning the room, his gaze settled on you. You were sitting at a two-person table bent over some papers and a red pen in your hand. He must have been looking at you for too long and it didn't escape Robin's attention.

"I told you that young people can like jazz too." she said patting him on the shoulder.

"Huh?" he replied exasperatedly.

"It's y/n. She moved to Hawkins a few months ago to teach at the high school. Ever since we started holding jazz nights she's been here every week in the same place loaded with tests. She says that with this music she concentrates best and grading doesn't get so tiring at all."

"Do you know her shoe size, too?" he asked sarcastically impressed by how much information Robin knows about you.

"Not yet." She winked at him. "Unlike you, instead of just staring at her I also started talking. I would advise you to do the same, I have a strange feeling that you would like each other."

"I can already see it, a teacher and a guy who repeated the last grade twice and was allergic to school?"

"Sounds pretty romantic to me." interjected Steve. "It would be a nice change in your life if you tried something more than being limited to quickies with random tourists in the back of a bar."

"Just shut up." replied an annoyed Eddie and walked away from them to make himself a drink. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew they were right. Many times, after "quickies" as Steve called it, he tried to ask someone out but no one was ever interested. No one ever wanted to get to know him better. He knew he was just a little adventure they would later tell their friends about when they got home. He found you attractive. That was a fact. Sipping a whiskey and Coke, he watched as you wrote something on a piece of paper in concentration and occasionally your focus shifted to the band playing on stage. In those moments, a gentle smile appeared on your face.

"Here." Robin said, approaching him with a colorful drink in her hand. Seeing his surprised face, she continued. "This is her favorite drink, go carry it and get a few words out." There was a moment of hesitation. He didn't know if he should listen to them. On the other hand, he had nothing to lose. He took the drink from Robin's hands and slowly moved toward you. When you noticed someone approaching you, you raised your eyes. You thought it was Steve or Robin. Since you started coming here you could tell that you had become so friendly with them that they always sat down to talk to you for a while. This time you didn't recognize the person walking towards you. It was a man dressed in black ripped jeans and a black T-shirt. He had long curly hair chaotically pinned up in a low bun. A few curls fell over his face. He was looking straight at you smiling slightly, by which you could see the slight dimples in his cheeks. In his hand he was holding one of your favorite drinks, which you had not ordered. At first you thought it was for someone else however when your eyes met you reciprocated the smile. The stranger was already opening his mouth to say something when he suddenly slipped on a napkin and in the next few seconds landed on the floor, and the drink spilled on the table and the sheets of paper that lay on it.

"Oh my god are you okay?" got up quickly from the chair to help him up.

"Shit!" he replied and looked panickedly at the soaked tests. 

Before you had time to respond anything Steve and Robin were next to you with a huge roll of paper towel. In confusion, you started wiping everything down, and an embarrassed Eddie took advantage of the moment when your attention wasn't on him and ran off to the office. When you finished cleaning you looked around for him, but couldn't spot him anywhere.

"I'll take them into the office and put them on the radiator maybe they'll dry out a bit." Steve said.

"Thank you." you said handing him the soaked papers. "And uh- Steve?"

"Yes?"

"This is your new employee?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I've never seen him here, but if he is, don't be mad at him, okay? It could happen to anyone. I'm sure once these tests dry I can continue checking." Harrington just sent you a smile and moved toward the back room.

"Not a bad first impression, dude!" he laughed when he noticed Eddie who was sitting in an armchair and staring aimlessly out the window.

"Can you stop talking and get to work?" retorted a frustrated Eddie.

"Yes, sir!" he saluted. "But I still have to tell you that you have a chance. I guess you caught her eye since she wasn't even angry that you flooded her students' work."

"Work!" shouted Munson, trying with all his might to focus on the documents they had to fill out and forget the earlier situation, the memories of which had already haunted him until he fell asleep and caused a wave of embarrassment to wash over his entire body. 

Since then, Eddie has avoided Thursdays even more than usual. As bad as it was, even if he wasn't there he couldn't stop thinking about the fact that you were just sitting there probably bent over the next batch of tests. Steve and Robin tried many times to persuade him to come and try again but the vision of being humiliated once more was stronger and made him always refuse.

Friday nights were reserved for Corroded Coffin performances. The whole band, as always, gave an amazing show, but halfway through when Eddie was carelessly running around the small stage with his guitar he spotted you at the end of the room. You were sitting alone at the same table as always, but this time you looked different. Dressed this time in an airy dress, with your hair down and makeup on your face, you attracted his attention even more, so he didn't let you out of his sight for the rest of the performance. When your gazes crossed you sent him a shy smile and he looked away panicked. What happened to the confidence that always radiated from him when he performed? It evaporated.

When they finished and another band took the stage after them, he and the guys moved toward the bar. Robin was already waiting with ready, filled glasses.

"Another good performance, you guys deserved an extra ice cube as a reward." she said, causing Laura to laugh. Eddie just shook his head and gave a thumbs up as he saw his friend's face light up seeing her co-worker's reaction. Holding his glass, he walked behind the bar again returned his gaze to you. Each time the bar door closed your hopeful sight hung on them and then hope turned to disappointment. You sipped your favorite drink nervously looking around the room and checking your watch from time to time.

"The picture goes like this." Robin said, snapping him out of his reverie. "She's supposed to have a date here, but as you can see the idiot didn't deign to show up."

"How do you know?" how could anyone double-cross you? Knowing the reason for your disappointed face, he felt a slight sting of sadness.

"Because she told me? I asked her when she came to get a second drink."

"Are you just going to stand there and stare at her, or are you finally going to join her?" asked Gareth. "Unless you don't want to, in which case I'll be more than happy to do it and take the place of whoever she was supposed to be here with."

"Don't!" the metalhead snapped, seeing Gareth get up from the bar stool. Embarrassed by his reaction, he sighed rolling his eyes.

"Dude, I've never seen you like this," laughed Jeff. "What happened to Eddie, who was throwing his charm like some crazy spell?"

"I don't know!" he whined.

"This is your chance to at least make a good second impression. I'll prepare a drink for you, and you carry it to her this time without spilling it." Robin decided.

As she said so it happened. This time with extreme care Munson managed to reach his destination and put the drink in front of you without any accidents. All the time he felt the eyes of his friends on him, but the closer he got to you the more he managed to ignore it.

"May I join you?" he asked.

"Sure." You replied sending a slight smile. "You were great." you commented.

"Oh, thank you. We play every week, if you'd like to see us again sometime." He winked at you, smiling broadly while sliding his drink in your direction. "On the house."

"Steve won't mind?"

"Why would he?"

"I didn't know musicians could give away free drinks."

"Yeah, right. I think we didn't get a chance to get to know each other the right way." he laughed scratching the back of his neck with his hand. "I'm Eddie. Eddie Munson. And Steve and I are the owners of this place."

"Oh." You replied slightly shocked. "Now I feel quite strange, after our last meeting I thought you were the bartender and I asked Steve not to be angry with that situation."

"For which I am very sorry. I hope you didn't get in trouble because of it?"

"No, fortunately after drying off I was still able to read and finish checking."

"I'm glad. And it's very nice what you said to Harrington, I appreciate it."

"I'm y/n." you said suddenly extending your hand toward him. "Y/n y/l/n. I moved here recently to work at Hawkins High."

"Well, I'd love to get to know you better, if you don't mind."

"I mean...I've already been stood up anyway, so I'd be happy to spend time with someone who actually feels like it."

In this way, for the next few hours you sat getting to know each other better. At first everything was quite strange and awkward, until finally, unbeknownst to you, you found common ground. Eddie told you his story related to The Hideout, and also mentioned his other hobby, which turned out to be a fantasy board game. You listened with pleasure as he recalled the days when he ran Hellfire in high school. Meanwhile, clearly interested, he also asked questions about you and your life, which you happily answered. The hands of the clock were moving at an incredibly fast tempo when it came time to close the bar. You thanked Eddie for saving the evening and you both parted, feeling a flock of butterflies rise in your bellies at the thought of each other.

That's how you became a regular at Corroded Coffin performances in addition to the Thursday jazz evenings (at which Eddie suddenly started appearing). Munson introduced you to his bandmates with whom you also caught on well. Eventually Hawskins was no longer a stranger to you. At first you felt very lonely in it, but now you looked forward to your weekly trips to the bar.

You were sitting bent over a test when out of the corner of your eye you noticed someone sitting down to you. Your first thought was none other than Eddie, who always sat down with you when you came in and you spent hours talking together. However, when you raised your head and noticed that it wasn't him the smile from your face quickly disappeared and was replaced by uncertainty.

"Can I help you somehow?" you asked the man.

"I figured a beautiful woman like you couldn't spend an evening alone, so I hope it won't be a problem for me to join you." he replied. You took a slightly better look at him. He looked a few years older than you, dressed in a black shirt and jeans. A watch that you would have had to work for over a year was shining on his wrist. He definitely made no secret of his wealth. "Can I buy you a drink?" he asked.

"Oh, no need." you said.

"I insist."

"Uhm... apple juice will do, thank you." you replied confused, and your new companion moved toward the bar. As Laura served him, Robin sent you a questioning look. You just shrugged your shoulders and shifted your gaze back to the test.

You didn't have time to check too much because after a while you had company again. The man's name was Dave and he was the owner of a fairly well-known company in a town near Hawkins. He had no problem telling you almost everything about himself over the next several minutes. You just nodded politely while sipping your juice. The funniest thing in all this was that he didn't even ask you what your name was.

At the same time, Eddie's attention did not escape the fact that someone had taken his place at your table. All day he had been gathering the courage to finally ask you out. The better you knew each other, the more he convinced himself that it was worth a try. He loved your conversations, loved hearing about how your day was going, how you spoke with amusement about your students' next crazy ideas. Your presence definitely brought a lot of light into his life, so now seeing someone else sitting across from you, he felt a pretty strong sting of jealousy. Did you date someone else here? Did he miss his chance? Resigned, he hid in the office, to which he left the door slightly ajar.

"What's this guy sitting with y/n?" asked Steve when he saw his friend.

"I have no idea." he replied, pretending to be unimpressed.

"I don't like him." Steve commented without taking his eyes off you.

The time in Dave's company passed... weirdly. His mouth wouldn't close and his self-deprecation and hearing about his company's utilities didn't interest you at all. You started to feel dizzy from the overload of unnecessary information. Wait a minute. You were really dizzy. You moved your gaze quickly to one of the sheets of paper, on which the letters suddenly began to move. What's wrong with you? You haven't drunk anything today, except for the juice you got from a stranger. Oh no.

"Are you all right? Why don't we go outside? Can I drive you home?" he began to propose. No way. The remnants of your consciousness screamed for you to run as far away as possible. With a shaky step, you quickly walked toward Robin. At the bar, you could barely stay on your feet.

"Jesus, y/n what happened?" she asked worriedly.

"I feel very strange... Everything around me is... blurry." suddenly speaking seemed much more challenging than usual.

"Are you okay dariling?" the voice of Dave reached you faster than his hand which after a moment landed on your back. "Can you give her a bottle of water for the road? We're about to leave." You were stunned.

"She's not going anywhere with you." Said Robin in a raised voice.

"Robin...very bad...I-I feel...bad." You mumbled out. As soon as Dave associated the facts that you knew this barmaid immediately began to retreat.

"Did you drink anything besides juice?" you nodded your head negatively.

Suddenly all the dots in Robin's head were connected. "You son of a bitch!" she shouted. "What did you give to her?!"

"What are you talking about?!"

"Bathroom." you whispered and hearing this, Laura immediately jumped out from behind the bar and helped you with getting there.

"What's going on here?" suddenly Steve's voice reached everyone.

"Your bartender put drugs into my friend's juice!"

"Dude are you crazy?!"

"The police will take care of it. Both of you to the office, now!" Steve knew that pretending to believe the man was the only option to keep him here until Hopper's arrival. "Eddie go stand behind the bar, when Hopper comes send him here," he said.

"What's wrong?" asked Eddie, seeing Robin sending a murderous look to the guy who was sitting at the table with you just a moment ago. Hearing his question she was already opening her mouth to answer, but Steve interrupted her right away.

"I'll tell you later, for now someone has to go stand behind the bar." Harrington was aware that your friendship with Eddie had grown significantly. He also knew that you meant much more than just a friend to him and he really didn't want to risk an additional ambulance call. Munson wordlessly left the room and did what Steve instructed. All the time, he was wondering what had happened. Many different scenarios were running through his head when suddenly Laura came running to him.

"Where's Steve?" she asked panicked.

"In the office with Robin and some dude. Why don't you tell me what happened?"

"Uh...This guy added something to y/n's juice and accused Robin of it. I took y/n to the bathroom, she probably returned everything she had in the system, but she's still too weak to move. She can't lie on the bathroom floor all evening." He added something to the y/n juice. These words rolled around in his head causing his rage to grow with each passing second. He was halfway to the office when he felt the barmaid grab his wrist. "She needs your help Eddie."

"Stay here." He replied and with a quick step moved toward the women's bathroom. You were leaning against the wall in a half-lying position. Your legs and arms suddenly became ten times heavier. Your eyes were bloodshot and tears were rolling down your cheeks. You didn't even have the strength to wipe them away. Everything seemed distant to you, as if behind a fog.

"Jesus Christ, what did he do to you y/n" suddenly a familiar tumbling curls appeared in front of your eyes. "I'll kill him, I'll kill the bastard" he muttered and quickly grabbed the toilet paper, ripped off a piece and wiped your face with it. Your condition made his heart ache. At the very thought of how Dave wanted to take advantage of your vulnerability he felt like going back to the office and really killing him.

"Eddie?" you whispered

"Yes, sweetheart, it's me," he said. When he looked into your unconscious eyes he immediately softened. Steve had called Hopper so he would take care of appointing justice. The priority was you and taking care of you.

"W-what's goin' on?" your voice was so weak it was barely audible.

"Some idiot put something in your juice, sweetheart."

"Oh." you heard his words but you were so stunned that they didn't reach you. Eddie was aware of that. He was also aware that when you get up in the morning and the events of the previous evening hit you in their entirety, in addition to shock, you may be hit by a whole range of negative emotions. Later you will be faced with giving a statement to the police, which will certainly not improve the situation.

"I'll take care of you, okay? Are you okay with it?" he asked grabbing your hand. You just nodded. "Are you able to get up?"

"I don't...know." The very act of speaking seemed to be awfully difficult for you. "I'm very h-heavy."

"I will help you, okay?"

"'kay" hearing the permission he put his arms around you tightly, resting all your weight on him, helped you up. He knew that you wouldn't get very far in this state, so he decided to take you to his apartment. When you came out of the bathroom a worried Laura informed you that Hopper had already arrived, and in the meantime she gathered all your things from the table and carried them to her locker. Eddie said he was taking you to his place and told her to tell the others.

To get to the apartment you had to go out the back exit. The change in the air was a shock to you compared to the warmth that prevailed inside. The worst was ahead of you. To reach your destination you still had to climb the stairs, which in your case was a huge challenge. After a few stumbles, you found yourself in a small hallway that led to a large living room. At the mere sight of the couch, your eyes began to close on their own. Eddie, seeing you fly off, quickly helped you pull off your shoes and led you deeper into the apartment. To your surprise you passed the couch you wanted and after a while you were in a small room, most of which was occupied by a huge bed. You were relieved to sit on it, but you felt the soft mattress attracting your whole body like a magnet.

"Are you okay? Do you need anything?" he asked, sitting down next to you.

"No." You muttered into the bedclothes.

"You know I don't want to hurt you right?" this question made you look at him with all the remaining power you had.

"I trust you, Eddie." you replied. The words meant much more to him than he expected. They went straight to his heart, crumbling the thick stone wall he had been building around him for years. He reached out his hand toward you and, after a moment's hesitation, brushed a few strands of hair away from your face, then stroked your cheek gently. "But I shouldn't," you laughed with sudden residual strength.

"What? Why?" he asked surprised. The second part of your statement slightly scared him.

"Robin told me that you don't like jazz." Feeling relieved, he only laughed. You were wrong. Eddie had enjoyed jazz a lot for some time. Eddie might even love jazz, but this was not the moment for such a conversation.

"Let me make you some tea okay? Fortunately, you got rid of the bad stuff out of your system fairly quickly, so you should be fine, but if anything call out. I'll be right back."

I trust you Eddie. Your words rolled around in his head making him smile to himself. The warmth that spread through his body was indescribable. He thought he would never feel like this again, but you gave him hope that things would be different.

When he returned to the room with a mug of warm tea in his hands you were already asleep. Not wanting to wake you, he gently covered you with a blanket that lay at the other end of the bed and turned off the light. He left the door open, just in case. He himself took a seat on the couch in the living room analyzing everything connected with you and your relationship with him.

That morning when Wayne came home from work he found his nephew sleeping on the couch. Walking to his room, he noticed that the door to Eddie's room was unusually open. Curiosity won, so he looked inside and saw an unfamiliar girl sleeping on the edge. This was strange. Wayne was used to Eddie bringing girls here from time to time. Sometimes he would pass them at the door when he came home from work, sometimes a little later they would escape from the apartment in a hurry. Wayne did not approve of such behavior but had no intention of interfering. There was nothing left for him to do but pray in his soul that fate would eventually send someone who would be happy to stay for breakfast and, in time, even for dinner.

When the man entered the room there was a piece of paper lying on his bed.

Hi Wayne,

You've probably already noticed that we have a visitor. This evening was full of sensations. Remember how I told you about the girl who likes jazz? The one I recently befriended, and you laughed that you never would have thought that your nephew who is allergic to everything school-related would have a crush on a teacher? That's y/n. Some asshole put something in her drink. As far as I know there is no one in Hawkins who could help her, so I took it upon myself. I couldn't leave her there alone, I hope you understand. I don't know how much she will remember when she gets up in the morning, she will definitely be in shock so act calmly, okay? To be clear, nothing happened between us, I know what you're thinking, but she's not like the rest. You can also expect a visit from Hopper, I told him he would find her at our place.

It was one of the few moments in Wayne's life in which he knew that despite the problems his boy attracted to him like a magnet, he had raised him well. He was proud of him.

The morning fell on you like a ton of rubble. The slightest sound tore your head apart causing terrible pain. The rest of your body was also not in the best condition to that you woke up very sweaty. When you opened your eyes you were horrified to see that the room you were in was not yours at all. When you raised yourself slightly in its corner you noticed three guitars lined up in a row. One of them seemed familiar to you. You started looking around further on the wall there were many posters of various bands, some of which you associated. Shifting your gaze to yourself, you were slightly relieved that you were wearing yesterday's clothes. At that moment a wave of memories also came over you, some more clear others terribly fuzzy. Dave. Dave who added something to your juice. Is Robin in trouble now because of you? Laura dragging you behind her to the bathroom. The icy white tiles and which you leaned against after vomiting. Eddie. Eddie came to help you. He said something to you, but you couldn't remember what. Cold air and then a lot of stairs. And darkness. You were in Eddie's apartment. It was his bedroom. You slept in his bed. But where is Eddie? You had to go to the bathroom. You sluggishly raised yourself from the bed and with arms spread so as to better catch your balance you left the room and walked to the living room where a metalhead was sitting on the couch and writing something in a thick notebook. Hearing footsteps he turned towards you and greeted with a smile.

"Mornin', how are you feeling?" he asked.

"I-I don't know." you answered honestly. You were now an emotional explosive mix. "Can I use the bathroom?" you asked quietly.

"Of course! I've prepared a towel for you there and some clothes to change into if you'd like."

"Thank you Eddie."

"You're welcome, the bathroom is over there." he said pointing to the door.

When you disappeared behind the bathroom door Eddie got up and started preparing breakfast. He stated that he would prepare scrambled eggs, but as an emergency, if you didn't like it he also prepared sandwiches. He didn't know whether you preferred coffee or tea, so with that he preferred to wait until you came out of the bathroom. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice when his uncle joined him in the kitchen.

"Hey, kid." he said quietly.

"Hey, Wayne, sorry-" he began.

"Boy, you have nothing to apologize for. I'm proud of you." replied the man putting his hand on his nephew's shoulder.

"Wayne..." Eddie didn't have time to say when they heard the bathroom door opening. You were overwhelmed. The sense of shame didn't leave you either. "y/n? Are you all right? Is something wrong?" he asked seeing your gaze quickly jump from him to Wayne. Silence. Silence was the only answer he got, so he repeated your name a few more times.

"I'm so sorry Eddie." you howled. "I feel so ashamed, I shouldn't be here, I'm sorry." your voice was breaking. You felt awful in every possible way. Used, naive, humiliated, scared, embarrassed. You couldn't contain your emotions, you still felt too weak for all this.

"What? what are you apologizing for?" he said slowly extending his hand toward you asking for silent permission to touch you. You, feeling yourself crumbling, came closer to him and hugged him tightly wanting his arms to stop the remains of you and prevent them from falling apart. After a moment's hesitation, you felt him reciprocate the hug. The warmth of his body made you feel safe, which ironically made you start crying. Still holding you in his arms, he began to gently rock you, whispering from time to time that you had nothing to apologize for and that everything was fine. The closeness you felt was very comforting, so when you calmed down and opened your eyes you saw the other man looking at you with a slight smile. Seeing the shock on your face he immediately introduced himself.

"I'm Wayne" he said. "Eddie's uncle."

"G-good morning Mr. Munson." you said embarrassed, pulling away from his nephew. "I'm so sorry about all this, I'll just get my stuff and get out of here." you could feel the panic rising.

"Won't you stay for breakfast? We're having scrambled eggs today."

"Oh, I-" You didn't know what to say.

"It's okay y/n." interjected Eddie. He wanted to assure you that you were welcome here. "If you want I can drive you home, but if you just feel like staying there's nothing stopping you. Yesterday I told them to tell Hopper that you will be here when it's time to write up the statements, I thought you didn't want to be alone with all this." He was right, you didn't want to. Sitting alone in empty four walls would drive you crazy.

"I... really don't want to be a trouble, you've done enough for me already Eddie, I don't want to overuse your kindness."

"Everything is fine. I promise, okay?"

"Okay."

Convinced by his sincerity, you decided to stay until the police arrived. The three of you sat down at the table and began to eat breakfast. The radio was playing quietly in the background and you listened to the men's conversation, trying not to think about the previous night. When you finished you wanted to help clean up that the table, but they both categorically forbade you to go near the dishes. Feeling your tiredness catch up with you, you retreated back to Eddie's room. You lay down against the wall covering yourself with a blanket. The material was very fluffy and pleasant, soothing.

"May I come in?"

"This is your room." you replied. Eddie sat down next to you.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked with concern.

"I don't know. I feel awful." You could feel tears coming to your eyes. "I have no idea how I could have been so careless."

"Hey, don't blame yourself for that. Luckily, you noticed pretty quickly that something was wrong and went to Robin with it. You acted very well." he said grabbing your hand.

"You saved me." you said quietly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He smiled. You saved me. Hearing these words, his heart beat faster and heat spread throughout his body. Your words very often had that effect on him. He looked at your face. Your gaze focused on your hands, which you were still holding. Despite your apparent sadness and fatigue you still looked beautiful. The most beautiful. He thought. He wanted to tell you this, but this was definitely not the time or season for such confessions. He noticed how you struggled not to close your eyes and fall asleep.

"Do you want to take a nap before Hopper comes?" he asked quietly.

"I think it would be good for me." you admitted.

"Would you mind if I stayed?" he asked uncertainly.

"Of course not." After all, it was his bed. Besides, in truth, you didn't mind. You felt safe.

As Wayne walked to his room through the ajar door, he could see you lying on the two ends of the bed, with your hands in the middle between you, still joined. The sight made him feel happy and hopeful. He wanted nothing more for Eddie than to finally find someone who would give him the love he deserved. And he deserved the truest and most beautiful one. Like any parent, he wanted the best for his son.

After two hours, you were awakened by the doorbell. The conversation with Hopper did not last long, Eddie sat next to you the whole time, supporting in silence. It turned out that you were not Dave's first victim. Fortunately, the first one who managed to be protected, from his intentions. Once you had made your statement, you and Eddie went down to the bar to get your belongings, which were left there, and then he drove you home, where, already alone, you had to deal with memories and thoughts that would haunt you for a long time.

Two weeks have passed since that day. You still couldn't come to terms with the situation and the feeling of shame you felt every time you thought about it. You wanted to sink into the ground, and dissapear, which is why you were unwilling to leave the house. Aside from work and a quick shopping, you spent your entire days on the living room couch. Your absence in the Hideout was felt by everyone. Your regular seat was empty, and every Thursday Eddie sat at that table hoping you would show up at the door any minute. He didn't want to impose, he wanted to give you the space and time you may have needed, but he couldn't stop thinking about you and missing you. 

No matter how hard you tried to focus on something else, the smiling, handsome face surrounded by battered curls always returned to your thoughts like a boomerang, making your heart beat faster.

For the third Thursday in a row, Eddie was sitting alone at your table sending sad glances toward the door when someone joined him. Wayne sat down across from him, and Steve and Robin appeared on either side of him, pushing back chairs.

"Shouldn't you be at work right now?" asked the younger Munson.

"I have two days off, so I thought I'd go crazy and pop in for some good beer." the man smiled.

"And I see you've found yourself some good company..." he sighed. "Buckley, shouldn't you be standing behind the bar right now? And you Harrington flirting with some lady in charge of liquor delivery, so that we can get a discount based on your beautiful eyes and charming personality?"

"That can wait, Eddie. We need to talk." Steve replied while rolling his eyes.

"About what?"

"We're sick of you wandering around the bar all day with the face of a sad puppy, dingus," said Robin.

"Apparently I haven't had reason to be happy."

"Son, if you miss her, just go and tell her so." interjected Wayne.

"How can you be sure it's about that?"

"For three Thursdays you've been sitting at the table where y/n sat all the time. What's more, every time the door opens you look at it as if Ozzy Osbourne is about to appear there." Robin concluded.

"That would be pretty metal." Eddie shrugged his shoulders. He wanted to pretend they weren't right, wanted to fool himself that he didn't care about you that much at all and your disappearance didn't affect him. But it had. He hated the fact that they were right once again.

"Go to her, invite this girl to a good dinner, buy her flowers, do something that will make her smile." continued the old man.

"Uncle Wayne is right." Steve backed him up. After several months of sitting together and keeping watch at Eddie's hospital bed, the entire group adopted Wayne as their uncle. Dustin was the first to do so, when he came to Eddie one day and greeted him with the words "hi Uncle Wayne." From then on, everyone started addressing him that way. At first it was a bit of a shock to him, but the more time he spent with the kids and the rest of the group he got used to it and had to admit he loved it.

"I can't just go and ask her out!"

"Why not?"

"Someone drugged her in my bar? Maybe she doesn't want to see me at all now because of it? I pretty much took her semi-conscious to MY apartment, maybe she thinks that I wanted to use her too? Maybe she doesn't want to know me anymore?"

"Son, we all know you would never hurt her, she knows that too." Wayne sighed.

"Okay, I have an idea!" exclaimed Robin and clapped her hands. "Since you don't want to ask her out on an official date, you'll do it by tricking her."

"What?"

"Steve do you remember the last time a jazz band came here and told us that they would like to play at the Hideout one Thursday?" a mischievous grin appeared on her face.

"Yes."

"So, we all know that y/n loves jazz, after all, it brought her here to us. I think Eddie would love to handle auditioning a new band, but since unfortunately the poor guy doesn't know much about this kind of music, he'd be happy to accept help from someone who has a knowledge of the subject."

"Shit, Robin, this is good," said Steve.

"I know." she smiled triumphantly. "You'll sense the situation during the audition, in the meantime arrange something warm to eat, a romantic dinner for two, after a private jazz concert? The girl will lose her head for you if she hasn't already!"

Eddie wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans and took a deep breath. Stress was eating him alive however, after a few minutes of staring at the door of your house he got the courage to knock. Seeing the surprise on your face he felt like turning on his heel and running away, but your voice was quicker.

"Hi." you said quietly. The surprise quickly turned into a warm smile that made his knees soften.

"Hi." he replied. "I'm not disturbing?"

"No, come in." You said making a pass at the door for him. You were glad to see him, shyly you had to admit that you missed him a lot.

"If you are tired I can go." he said looking at you with a slight smile. In fact, his arrival woke you up from the little nap you had taken on the living room couch.

"Sorry, I wasn't expecting visitors." you suddenly remembered that you were wearing old stretched out sweatpants and an oversized T-shirt.

"You look very nice," he said seeing your embarrassment. "I just wanted to see how you were feeling, it's been a long time since you were at our place, I was worried. We were all worried." He said looking around the apartment. It was one room smaller than his. On a table set up in the living room was a large box of tapes that immediately caught his attention, so he moved toward it. On the windowsill was a player from which soft trumpet and piano sounds flowed.

"I thought you didn't want to see me after all that..." you confessed.

"What? Why?" he asked shocked. On the contrary, he wanted nothing more than to see you.

"I caused you some trouble...Especially Robin, she got it the most. Later you had to give up your plans for the evening to take care of me, for which I thank you very much and I am truly grateful."

"Nothing that happened that evening was your fault, Robin was fine, except that if it hadn't been for Steve she would have scratched that asshole's eyes out. Hopper said poor Harrington couldn't hold her." You laughed lightly imagining it. "As for later...I wanted to take care of you, after all, that's what sa friend is for, right?" he said grabbing one of the tapes in the carton. He focused on it to avoid seeing your reaction. Turning the small box in his hand, he noticed the inscription "Your smile is brighter than the sun" on it. Curious, he began to look through more. Each of the tapes had some kind of inscription on it. "For worse days" ,"Take it easy, baby" , "I'll always be there for you"

"They belonged to my grandmother." You said seeing his interest and sat down on the couch, taking the box in your lap. Eddie sat down next to you, close enough that your shoulders were touching. The warmth of his body made you feel comfortable enough to rest your head against his shoulder. You couldn't resist. "She met my grandfather at a bar. She worked as a waitress, and he and his friends sometimes played small concerts there."

"I bet they were famous for jazz?" he chuckled.

"Yes. Grandpa's best friend played the saxophone and infected him with a love of jazz, and since Grandpa was playing the piano from a young age it was a matter of time until they started playing together, and later other friends joined them."

"So this music flows through your veins?" 

"You can say that." You replied giggling while digging through the tapes in the box. "Got it!" you exclaimed. "This is my favorite," you said holding up a box labeled "Always in my heart"

"Your grandfather must have been a huge romantic."

"Oh, yes, he definitely was. Once a week Grandma always got flowers from him. Sometimes he would buy them, and when we didn't have much money he would pluck one from someone's garden on the way home from work." you laughed. "But, hush, it's a secret."

"Your secrets are safe with me." You are, too. He almost slipped up.

"On Sundays when neither of them went to work they always played this tape and danced to it. I still remember that sight. One of the most beautiful memories I have."

"It sounds really beautiful," he said.

"When I was younger I always dreamed of such love, theirs seemed indestructible. Even after the worst argument they were somehow able to find a way to reconcile. My favorite song is the third on the cassette, it's called "Lost In Your Eyes" He always played it for Grandma when she had bad days. It always calmed her down."

"Did you manage to find it?"

"What?"

"That love" He didn't know why you were even being asked that question. Deep down, Eddie himself didn't know if he wanted to know the answer to that question. What if you answer that yes, that someone is waiting for you somewhere after all, or suddenly there is some secret fiancé you haven't had a chance to mention before? You quickly dispelled his worry.

"No, as you had a chance to see I don't have much luck with love, I'm a magnet for disasters." you said. "But that's not a conversation for the moment, because I think I'd burn with embarrassment."

"Okay, so maybe tell me more about your grandparents and jazz? Did you visit them often?"

"Oh, they raised me. My mother decided that motherhood was not her specialty so when I was two years old she ran away from home leaving me with my grandparents. And I don't know my father. It was always just the three of us. If I passed someone that my family on the street I wouldn't even know about it."

"Shit, when you said you didn't have anyone I thought it was just about Hawkins. I'm so sorry y/n."

"Don't be. It was very hard for me after they died, but I'm fine now. Moving here helped me. A change of environment, new people, a job I like. Although if I'm honest my favorite new thing is Hideout."

"I'm very pleased to hear that." he replied and winked at you.

"Especially on Thursdays, my grandfather would love jazz Thursdays, just like me." Why do you confide in him? You have no idea. Or maybe you do. Maybe it's because you feel wonderful in his company. That when he's close you feel safe and comfortable. Maybe it's because you're awfully thirsty for the closeness of another person, you're thirsty for the company of someone close in your life, and you terribly want Eddie to become your closest person. But won't that be crossing some boundaries? Does he want the same thing?

"I'm sure he always accompanies you during them. I hope he's not mad about some long-haired freak taking his place at your table." What he said melted your heart, touched every part of your body. After two weeks of isolation from the world and longing, you finally didn't feel so alone.

"Thank you Eddie." you said and you looked at him. His face very close to yours, beautiful big eyes gazed into yours and his lips formed in a small smile. You wondered what it would be like to kiss those lips. You were sure the feeling must be amazing.

"You don't have to thank me." he replied.

"I have. From the very beginning, I always waited for Thursday. Just to go to the Hideout. Even before we met, when I only knew Robin, Steve and Laura. It was a place where I never felt lonely, where I always felt welcome, and then you spilled a drink on my tests, and along with that spilled drink I found another person who makes living here easier and more enjoyable." emotions took over and words flew out of your mouth on their own, "I am so grateful for all of you and I miss it."

"We miss you too." He said and put his arm around you, you immediately accepted the gesture and after a while the embrace turned into a warm hug. "Your table looks so sad when it's empty. And my company is not enough for him." he said hugging you even tighter. You wanted time to stop and this moment to never end.

"I don't know if I can go back. I'm afraid to look Robin in the eye after that night."

"If we only let her, she would strangle that asshole with her bare hands for what he did to you. She misses you too, and she doesn't resent you, because nothing that happened that night is your fault, as I've said many times before."

"Do you really think so?"

"I know it." This time it was you who squeezed him tighter. Silence fell between the two of you. You were sitting on the couch snuggled into each other, jazz was quietly playing in the background, and Eddie was gently tracing shapes on your arm with his finger. You couldn't remember the last time you felt so good. The silence between you was not jarring. On the contrary, it gave a sense of peace. Eddie, on the other hand, could not control the thoughts running through his head at the speed of light. He had so many things to say to you, yet he didn't want to spoil the moment. He didn't want the bubble that had just surrounded you to burst and tear you apart.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" you asked after a long moment.

"With pleasure, what are we cooking?"

"I have no idea. You can think about it and I'll change in the meantime." you replied and reluctantly left the area of his arms.

You decided that you would make spaghetti. While you waited for the pasta to boil you told him more about your life with your grandparents. You even pulled out a photo album. Eddie absorbed the information about you like a sponge, he wanted to know everything you wanted to tell him. And you no longer defended yourself against the feelings that grew in you when your hands accidentally met, or the way your knees weakened when he sent you a smile. You were happy to let him into your life, hoping that he would want to stay in it.

You ate in front of the TV, laughing and commenting on some comedy that was on. The time flew by pleasantly, but also mercilessly. After dinner Eddie wordlessly helped you clean up and announced that he had to get to work.

"Thank you for coming." you said.

"It's me who thanks you for your hospitality and delicious dinner m'lady."

"Wait, I'll put some in the box for you for later! We made such a huge portion I won't be able to eat it myself." you said and quickly ran to the kitchen leaving Eddie alone. His gaze fell on the box with "Always in my heart" written on it. He knew what he wanted to do. The idea immediately popped into his head, so before he had a chance to think, he quickly walked over to the tape, took it and put it in his jacket pocket. Moments later, you returned to him with a box full of spaghetti.

"I put in a little more because I thought you'd want to share with your uncle." You said, smiling.

"Thank you." he said a bit nervously, fearing that you would immediately notice that the cassette was missing and it would turn out that he had taken it. "I have one more question for you, actually a request." he said quickly wanting you to focus your attention on him.

"Yes?"

"What are you doing next week on Saturday?"

"I have no plans," you said.

" A jazz band that would like to try out on Thursdays has applied, and I need to audition them."

"I thought you didn't like jazz."

"Damn Robin and her unbridled tongue." he laughed nervously. "Actually, I admit that I was not fond of it, but that has changed. In fact, I'm starting to like jazz, even a lot. That's why I'm very eager to do an audition, but I thought I could use the help of a jazz expert."

"You mean me?" you asked surprised.

"Of course I do."

"I'd be very happy to help you."

"Great! But I hope to see you on Thursday? You don't want your table to crumble from nostalgia, do you?" his playful smile became infectious.

"You can tell my table that I also miss it and I'm already looking forward to sitting by it again on Thursday." You replied smiling widely.

When you were left alone in the air you could still smell the faint scent of his perfume. Feeling his presence still, the smile did not leave your face, making your cheeks start to ache after a while. The gray clouds from your sky slowly departed into the distance and the sun appeared again with small steps. Again you waited impatiently for Thursday.

The week flew by quickly, the days passed by as you counted down to Thursday, and Thursday evening itself turned out to be wonderful. This time as soon as you crossed the doorstep of the Hideout you noticed that there was not only Eddie sitting at the table, but also Robin and Steve. You sat and caught up all evening laughing and enjoying each other's company. You felt happy.

For Eddie, the week was a bit busier. Stressed about Saturday and what he had planned for you, he kept wondering if he was doing the right thing. The cassette he took from your apartment was playing non-stop. Especially song number three. He spent every spare moment sitting at the piano and trying to learn it. On the night from Friday to Saturday, nerves and stress were eating him alive. He processed every possible scenario in his head as if tonight might turn out differently. Unable to sleep at five in the morning, he went downstairs to continue practicing. He could already play the song from memory, but the fear of getting something wrong was worse. Lost in a musical trance, he didn't hear when someone came inside.

"Eddie? What the hell are you doing here at this hour son?" A puzzled Wayne walked closer.

"Y'know, just practicing..."

"I didn't know you'd gone back to playing the piano."

"I never thought I'd go back to it either." He sighed, turning toward his uncle.

"You haven't played for a very long time, since..."

"Since mom died. I know." Eddie's love of music was inherited from his mother who taught him to play the piano. From a young age they spent hours at the instrument. Unfortunately, after her death it was too painful for him, but he was not able to live long without playing. That's why he started playing the guitar instead of the piano.

"What's going on boy?"

"Do you remember y/n?"

"Of course I do. What about her? Didn't your plan with the 'audition' succeed?"

"It succeeded and that's the problem. I wanted to do something special for her, something that made her feel special..."

"You wrote her a song?"

"Not really. The last time I visited her, she told me about her grandfather who played jazz. He recorded a lot of tapes and she showed me her favorite one, she even said which song from it she liked best, so I thought I'd learn and when we were left alone I'd play it for her, but the more I think about it the more it all scares me."

"Listen kid, feelings are not a simple thing. But you're one of the bravest people I know, so I'm sure you can handle it."

"What if I take it all wrong and she doesn't feel the same? What if she gets too upset that I stole her beloved souvenir of her grandparents and she doesn't want to listen to me?"

"You think too much. I understand that you have doubts, everyone has them, but you can't let them overshadow the purpose of it all. Even if she doesn't reciprocate your feelings, we can handle it. I'll be here for you."

"Thanks, Wayne." The younger Munson felt a weight fall from his heart to some extent and be replaced by a slight flame of hope. Conversations with his uncle always have that effect on him.

"Which doesn't change the fact that I'm ninety-nine percent sure she'll appreciate the gesture and won't even get too angry about the stolen tape. I have a good feeling about this girl, and you know your old man is rarely wrong." The man laughed and sat down in a chair. "Now play this song, I want to hear it."

Saturday evening came sooner than Eddie would have expected. Normally the Hideout would now be filled to the brim but this time there was emptiness and silence. Silence that seemed too loud for him. The black shirt he had buttoned up to his neck seemed to choke him, so he unbuttoned the first two buttons. The stress still made him incredibly hot. Suddenly he heard a door opening in which you appeared. At the sight of you, his heart sped up twice as fast, he became more and more aware that tonight would bring many changes, but he still wasn't sure if they were good ones.

"I know I'm a little early, but I couldn't wait." you said smiling broadly.

"That's okay, you look beautiful." he replied.

"You equally. It suits you in that shirt." It was a fact. It was the first time you'd seen him in a more elegant version, and you'd have to be lying if you said it hadn't crossed your mind what would happen if he undid a few more buttons. "It's creepy here without a crowd of people." you commented, wanting to dismiss those thoughts and change the subject. You sat down at a table opposite the stage. "This place is always full of life," you said.

"It reminds me of our early days when practically every day was like this." He responded by sitting down across from you. "Fortunately, it has grown more vibrant over time."

"I'm glad. I can't imagine life in Hawkins without this place."

Eddie wanted to reply that he couldn't imagine Hawkins without you now, but bit his tongue. Not yet. Before he had time to say anything the door opened again letting in a band of 5 musicians. They were in their early twenties. Excitedly, they introduced themselves to you and began to spread out on stage. Ironically, the most stressed person in the room was still Munson. When they started playing you focused all your attention on the performers, Eddie, however, was unable to. You listened to the performance with a smile on your lips, enjoying every note they played. The songs varied, some fast and cheerful, others a bit sadder or calm and soothing. You were absorbed in each of them, the emotions conveyed in the music flowing through you while painting different facial expressions that Eddie could read like a book. From time to time he forced himself to look at the stage, but then quickly returned his gaze to you. He was unable to think about anything else but how beautiful you looked. He had already seen you in various states and no matter what, you were always beautiful to him. He felt like stopping the show and shouting right in your face all the emotions that were blowing up inside him. But he had to endure for a few more moments. He had to be patient to tell you in the right way that every time you are close to him he feels a pain in his ribs which is caused by his heart, which wants to escape from its cage straight to you.

"Will you stay here with them for a while? I have to go upstairs quickly, I promise I'll be right back." he said nervously, when the audition finished.

"Is something wrong?" you asked worriedly.

"No, just wait here for me, okay?"

"Sure."

In the meantime, while the band was packing up the instruments he rushed upstairs where hot food prepared by Wayne, who had already left for work, was waiting for him. The portions were packed in boxes, and on one of them was a note saying "Good luck son!". The metalhead took a deep breath and, together with the food, headed back downstairs.

When he returned the musicians were ready to leave, he thanked them and said he would call on Monday with an answer and possible details.

"I thought a little snack wouldn't hurt us." he said turning toward you and began to take out the containers. "I'm sorry that I didn't prepare the porcelain crockery," he said.

"Whatever it is it doesn't need porcelain crockery to smell delicious." you replied and helped him lay everything out.

The meal passed you in a very pleasant atmosphere. You joked and talked about the audition. In your opinion, they should definitely give them a chance, and Eddie had no choice but to agree because, first of all, he didn't pay a bit of attention to the music they were playing because he was too busy melting at the sight of you, and secondly, he would do anything you wanted. There was also the third, he knew you wouldn't do him any harm. 

"So... do you feel like another little performance?" he asked when silence fell between you. Seeing your curious face he continued. "I'm saying in advance that I haven't done this in years." He walked toward the piano. When he sat down at it, nerves and stress took over completely causing momentary paralysis. He stuck his gaze into the keys and felt his palms flood with sweat and begin to shake. Come on, Eddie, you can do it. He repeated over and over in his mind, but it didn't help. He was so preoccupied with all this that he didn't notice when you got up from the table and slowly walked toward him, only to sit down next to him a moment later.

"I would love to hear you play Eddie." you said grabbing his hand. You didn't mind how wet with sweat it was. When you saw a smile creep onto his face along with that small gesture, you thought you'd like to hold it forever. When your touch eased his nerves and his fingers didn't shake so badly he began to play. At first his uncertainty made him barely touch the keys, but every time he glanced in your direction and saw your delight when you recognized the next moments of the song he became more and more confident. And with each successive note your heart grew.

"Lost In Your Eyes," you whispered when he finished.

"Yeah, so lost." he replied grabbing your hand. Now or never. He thought, Your faces were now very close together, Eddie rested his forehead against yours and took a deep breath. His eyes were big and dark. Beautiful. It was a beauty in which you could get lost and wander for the rest of your life. "I feel so lost right now that I don't even know how to say what has been going on in my head for a very long time," he said.

"Try it, I have a feeling that in our minds we think alike." you encouraged him.

"I've really liked jazz lately, y'know?" his voice was very quiet and low, but every word reached you with redoubled force.

"Well...I didn't think I'd ever become a metal fan, but recently I've found that metal can be very magnetic..."

"Do you think you could fall in love with metal? Because I think I've been falling in love with jazz for a while now."

You were just about to answer, when suddenly a loud bang came from the office. You both jumped up and looked away from each other, directing your gaze toward the source of the noise. Eddie slowly got up walking there, so you followed him. From a distance you heard muffled voices from behind the door, which became more and more clear the closer you got.

"I thought you were as stealthy as a nina, idiot. You weren't supposed to knock over a whole cabinet!" It was Robin.

"Oh I'm sorry I took away your role as a bull in a china shop!" Steve hissed back. "I don't hear anything, they are quiet, do you think they heard us?"

"Move your ass, dingus."

Eddie showed you to be quiet, but you had a hard time holding back the laughter that was gathering inside you. What the hell were they doing there? Suddenly Munson abruptly opened the door while yelling as loudly as he could. Surprised and somewhat frightened eavesdroppers fell to the floor.

"What the fuck dude?!" shouted Steve putting his hand over his heart. "Do you want me to have a heart attack?"

"Yeah Steve, what the fuck?" replied Eddie crossing his arms over his chest. "Can anyone know why you are spying on us? I thought you guys had enough spies, especially Russian ones."

"Oh come on! We were just curious how you were doing, you know very well how strongly we are rooting for you!" exclaimed Robin.

"And that was the reason for you to break in here through the window?" he asked amused, pointing to the open 'entrance'.

"Maybe it didn't work out so well, we just wanted to see how it was going and back out the same way." Steve tried to defend himself.

"Oh my God Steve, that sounds so much worse said out loud." sighed Robin and hid her face in her hands. "Come on creep, we should go now."

"Yes, you should, and this time PLEASE use the damn door."

"Yeah, we are sorry. Bye crab, bye y/n." said Robin, and on her way out she gestured that you should call her later.

"Bye stalkers!" you replied waving your hand.

When you were left alone again Eddie brought a tape recorder from the office. "I hope you won't hate me and forgive me, but last time I was at your place I borrowed something without asking." he said while putting the cassette inside.

"I connected the dots the moment you started playing the piano." You laughed lightly as you approached him. "I think I'm able to forgive you for stealing my favorite heirloom from my grandfather."

"That sounds awful, don't say it that way," he said.

"Then what way should I put it?"

"Maybe that I borrowed it without asking to impress you? And to ask you to dance now?" he pulled you to him putting his hands on your waist. You wrapped yours around his neck.

"Actually, it sounds better."

"Right?"

"Yeah..."

"So where were we before the two morons interrupted us?"

"You said you started falling in love with jazz..." you stepped closer to him, and his hands tightened around you. "And I was just about to answer you that metal and jazz is a very uncommon combination." A look of mild shock and sadness flashed across his face. He started to pull away when you pulled him as close to you as you could. Your chests touched and your lips were separated by millimeters. "But this very rare connection could turn out to be something really beautiful," you said.

"Do you really think so?" your proximity made it difficult for him to breathe evenly.

"That's what I hope for." you whispered and your lips lightly brushed his when you said it, and he put his hand on your cheek.

"I'd like to know what it's like to feel jazz all over me." he whispered while nudging yours with his nose.

"Nothing stands in the way." you replied and he finally brought your lips together in a passionate kiss. The music in the background enchanted the moment you were in and you felt that you would never have to feel lonely again. You had a feeling that with Eddie, Hawkins would become your home.

[dollsonmain]

I kind of feel bad for That Guy, actually.

He's refused to have insurance all this time because he thinks it's a scam.

I kind of agree. You pay in and pay in and either never need it and of course never get it back, or when you need it you have to fight with the insurance company to get them to pay for things, especially if you have atypical needs like common meds not working for you and needing alternatives. I've watched so many disabled friends struggle with their insurance to get their medical needs covered, and being disabled, unable to afford them otherwise.

I didn't realize that part of his proud "We're self-pay." statements stemmed from a lack of knowledge about the cost of healthcare. He's also always going on about having more money than he knows what to do with, but that's because he's neglected all of our medical needs, including his own, and is letting the house fall apart around us. I can only do so much to keep it together with a disabled body and no funds.

I pity him because it must have been quite the shock to go from thinking that of course he knew, his assumptions were right about what he knew, and then have the universe come along and show him that not only did he not know, but to do so in the one place that really hurts him, the one thing he really cares about: His wallet. Doubly painful that it was a lesson learned when paying for care for me; someone he sees as a burden already (he really doesn't like buying me food) and not as a person but as a tool.

Every time I've needed medical care and he's had to pay it out of pocket I've mentioned that One Big Thing and he'd wish we had insurance.

I'm sure it also stings to be constantly telling US in an angry voice that we HAVE to know things! We HAVE to know EVERYTHING, there is so much going on in life, we HAVE to know, and then get hit very hard with undeniable proof that he wasn't as knowledgeable about a subject as he thought he was.

That has to have been a hard lesson, especially having to see me being unsurprised by the expenses and able to talk about things like medical tourism, proving again that I knew more about something when he's convinced himself that of course he's smarter than me in all things. That's something I used to believe, too.

As deserved as it is, I feel bad for him having to go through that learning experience because it's hard and unpleasant.

-

I do not feel guilty for the medical bills nor do I feel guilty that he's paying them after 20+ years of emotional, sexual, and financial abuse, and me trying to convince him to get insurance for at least him and our son since he refuses to marry me because it would give me leverage and rights therefore his work insurance wouldn't cover me anyway, and to start a college fund for our son when he was born because I couldn't since he'd taken me away from my job (with really good insurance, by the way) after ignoring our contraceptive methods without my consent and got me pregnant knowing full well that I didn't want kids.

I'm sure my anger comes through even when I'm saying I pity him.

I am sorry that the cost is equating to the loss of a year's wages before taxes in the course of a few months and he absolutely hates his job. It's already been more than what he earned from selling his late father's house (split 50/50 with his sister on a derelict townhouse in Philadelphia, so about $42k earned but already $60k payed/pending) and I'm sorry about that, too.

However, I'm not at fault how much health care costs in the U.S. any more than I'm at fault for needing it.

[bu1410]

Good afternoon TUMBLR - April 21th - 2024

''Mr. Plant has owed me a shoe since July 5, 1971."

Mohammedia, Morocco – 2002

It was beginning of June and I got a call from Rome: the kind Mrs. Sette - HR Representative of TECHNIP Italy - asks me if I am interested to on mission to Mohammedia, Morocco. Of course I am! Was my answer. A week later, I am summoned inside the mega headquarters of Technip Italia, in Rome, to carry out the medical examinations and sign the employment contract. At the time I had just bought a new car, an Alfa Romeo 147, so we organized a trip to Rome with my family. It was a pleasant trip and stay, and we had the opportunity to visit Sperlonga and Gaeta.

Sperlonga.

Gaeta.

I left for Casablanca at beginning of July, returning to work in Morocco after 11 years. I arrived at Mohammed V airport and with the ''excuse'' that Technip was aware of my past in Morocco, no one was there to welcome me. A Grand taxi took me to the Hotel Sabah as was previsiosly agreed - I would stay there for a few days, until I'll find a suitable accommodation. In the late afternoon I was joined by the Mission's Head, Mr. De Sanctis, a Roman guy, an elderly person with some walking problems. At dinner he explained to me that the team would be made up of a total of 4 people: a civil supervisor, a mechanic, and an electro-instrumental supervisor

THE PROJECT. The SAMIR refinery in Mohammedia, about 20 km north of Casablanca, was built by Italian Snamprogetti/SAIPEM in the '70s. The property had more recently been acquired by a Joint Venture between a Swedish Investment Fund and a wealthy Saudi investor. The new ownership had decided to modernize the complex, building new production plants next to the existing refinery. For this purpose, TECHNIP was contacted to follow up the partial demolition of the existing plants and part of the Tank Farm, and prepare the areas where the new plants would be built. Our mission was to supervise the demolitions of the tanks, and the preparation of the areas with selected materials capable of withstanding the considerable loads of the new installations. SAMIR had not yet appointed the Main Contractor of the new plants - a contract worth 316 million dollars - TECHNIP Italia had agreed to follow the preparatory works to try to ''get a foot in'' the refinery and undermine others competitors.

MISSION TASK FORCE. In addition to the aforementioned Mr. De Santis, the following people were part of the mission: Mr. Rinaldo Cozzi: originally from Cerro Maggiore (North of Italy). He was our electro-instrumental expert. A decent person, even if a little closed off. He only went out with us during the visits of the Technip manager Ing. Petrillo. I will meet Cozzi again in Shah – Abu Dhabi, where he had a position with SAIPEM pipeline. Mr. Mario Maggi, from Piacenza - a jovial and open guy, he was coming from a previous experience in Senegal. Expert in turbines, compressors etc, in truth he didn't have much to do since we were only talking about demolitions.

LIFE IN MOHAMMEDIA. Mohammedia is the seaside city of Casablanca. Equipped with somewhat old hotels, it is made up of residential areas of holiday villas built in the early 1980s. The city has therefore become a destination for medium-low level tourism, also following the construction of the refinery and the Power Plant overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

LOGISTIC. After an initial period in which I slept in hotel, I found a decent oceanfront apartment through a real estate agency. Inserted in a beautiful park, the apartment was on the first floor of a holiday condominium. The local owner was living abroad, and had entrusted the agency with the task of managing the rent from the apartment. I really enjoyed it, and I stayed in the same apartment for the entire ten months of my stay in Mohammedia.

Mr. De Sanctis lived in a villa on the Plage Manesmane.

Mr. Cozzi in another house near De Sactis, while Maggi had chosen to stay secluded in a villa further inside the city.

SUB-CONTRACTOR The Contractor that would carry out the work was chosen directly by the Technical Management of the refinery. Mr. Berrada, the Site Manager was a competent and approachable young engineer. The history of this Company is intertwined in a curious and surprising way with the attack that King Hassan II suffered on 16 August 1972, when the Royal Boeing 727, returning from an official trip to France, was attacked by military jets of the Force Armee Royale. According to the reconstruction of the event, the plane was hit on one of the engines, but the pilot managed to make escape the jet unscathed, and thus saving the life of the Sovereign. That pilot's brother was the owner of a small building Contractor from Casablanca. The pilot's exploits made the fortune of his brother, who in a short time became one of the largest entrepreneurs in the construction sector in Morocco, going so far as to build the so-called ''Twin Towers'' of Casablanca, which with their height of 128 meters are have long been the tallest skyscrapers in Morocco.

WORK PROGRESS. The rafinery plot was overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The progress of the works was quite regular, the demolition of old tanks continued apace and so did the creation of new areas for the new plants. To the South of the plant, divided only by a reception wall, stood the coal power plant built in the 1980s by the Italian Cimi Montubi Group.

FLOOD DISASTER - NOVEMBER 2002. Everything went well until the beginning of November. Yes, it's true, sometimes we had some problems getting the refinery operators out of their offices before proceeding with their demolition. But it had been raining cats and dogs for three days, even though they told me it was the season. On a Saturday morning the SAMIR management received a call from a dam Director, located approximately 45 km away from the plant. The Director warned that since the water inside the artificial reservoir of Barrage Oued El Maleh had now reached the overflow point, it had been decided to open the gates of the dam, and let part of the water flow into the Oued El Maleh , whose course, after reaching the refinery, flowed into the Atlantic between the refinery itself and the Royal Golf Club. The Dam Director estimated that the flood wave would reach the refinery towards the late afternoon of the same day. As a precaution, operations at the plant should have been stopped. A consultation with Saudi ownership categorically ruled out shut down onthe entire complex. The costs of shut down, lost production, and start-up were the reasons given for refusing to stop operations. Never was a decision more wrong.

At 3.00 PM order had been given to leave the plant. The water from the Ouadi El Maleh had already overcome the barrier set up at the entrance to the plant, and was spreading throughout the area. The area of our offices, lower than the rest of the refinery, was already heavily flooded. We returned to Mohammedia with in mind the worried faces of the operators who were preparing to spend the night in the plant. It was around 9.45 in the evening when the first explosions were heard. I went out onto the apartment balcony and looked towards the South: I could see some flashes that lit up the dark night. Firefighter and Red Crescent sirens. And then an explosion louder than all the others: we then learned that a diesel tank had been blown up. We would find the roof of the tank thrown like a giant frisbee 150 meters away. The fire had attacked the power station, and triggered the explosion when the water reached the high voltage bars. Most of the utilities were destroyed that night. Thanks to the work of firefighters who also came from Casablanca, and of the refinery operators, the fire was contained and did not reach the fuel depot area where there were dozens of tanks full of oil and diesel: it would have been a Biblical disaster.

Two operators lost their lives in the accident, and numerous were injured. When the refinery was made safe, the highest authorities in Morocco came to visit, first and foremost King Mohammed VI. The refinery management asked us to participate in the damage assessment, alongside a specially established insurance team. At the end of the survey, which lasted weeks, the damages were estimated at 157 million dollars. During the cleaning operations from the mud that had invaded the entire area of the plant, many teams of volunteers showed up after King Mohamed VI's appeal on TV. What remained was the regret of a disaster caused once again by a decision dictated by mere selfishness. The questions I asked myself at the time was: ''In his country, would the Saudi owner of the refinery have made the same decision, that is, not to stop the plant?''

END OF MISSION. At the end of April, the enormous cleaning operation of the refinery had been completed, even if production had not been able to resume due to the enormous damage caused by the flood and the subsequent fire. Our work to prepare the areas was coming to an end, and the most disparate rumors were circulating about the name of the Main Contractor who would win the contract for the new installation. The sentiment was that they would not be awarded to TECHNIP Italia, regardless of our performance during the Early Works.

Italian Giant SAIPEM was awarded the project.

[medicaltourism-business]

Tap into a Fast Growing Market | Gilliam Elliott

[ukrfeminism]

3 minute read

The UK government has blocked Scotland's gender reform bill in an unprecedented intervention that is likely to spark a constitutional row between the two parliaments.

Downing Street has the power to stop legislation from Holyrood receiving Royal Assent - the final stage of any new bill - if it believes it will have an adverse impact on UK-wide law.

Scotland Secretary Alister Jack has confirmed he will lay a section 35 order at Westminster tomorrow to prevent the legislation being sent to the King for Royal Assent.

In a statement, he said: "I have not taken this decision lightly."

In the 25 years since devolution, no British government has taken this step - until now.

The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill was passed by a majority of MSPs last month, with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon hailing at as a "historic day for equality".

The new legislation would lower the age people can apply to change their gender to 16, remove the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria for a gender recognition certificate (GRC), and reduce the time an applicant needs to live in their acquired gender.

But while the bill has been welcomed by equality campaigners, UK ministers fear it may lead to gender tourism and that people who change gender in Scotland would have a different legal gender when they are in the rest of the UK.

Critics of the legislation are also concerned organisations offering single-sex spaces would have to adopt different policies.

Announcing the move the block the gender reform bill, Mr Jack said: "I have decided to make an order under section 35 of the Scotland Act 1998, preventing the Scottish parliament's Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill from proceeding to Royal Assent.

"After thorough and careful consideration of all the relevant advice and the policy implications, I am concerned that this legislation would have an adverse impact on the operation of Great Britain-wide equalities legislation.

"Transgender people who are going through the process to change their legal sex deserve our respect, support and understanding. My decision today is about the legislation's consequences for the operation of GB-wide equalities protections and other reserved matters.

"I have not taken this decision lightly.

"The bill would have a significant impact on, amongst other things, GB-wide equalities matters in Scotland, England and Wales. I have concluded, therefore, that this is the necessary and correct course of action.

"If the Scottish government chooses to bring an amended Bill back for reconsideration in the Scottish parliament, I hope we can work together to find a constructive way forward that both respects devolution and the operation of UK parliament legislation.

"I have written today to the first minister and the Scottish parliament's presiding officer informing them of my decision."

Earlier today, Ms Sturgeon said "it would be an outrage" if the UK government were to block the bill.

In a briefing on NHS pressures, she accused UK ministers of "using trans people as a political weapon".

"In my view there are no grounds to challenge this legislation," she told reporters.

"It is within the competence of the Scottish parliament, it doesn't affect the operation of the Equality Act and it was passed by an overwhelming majority of the Scottish parliament after very lengthy and very intense scrutiny by MSPs of all parties represented in the parliament.

"So if there is a decision to challenge, in my view, it will be quite simply a political decision and I think it will be using trans people - already one of the most vulnerable, stigmatised groups in our society - as a political weapon.

"And I think that will be unconscionable and indefensible and really quite disgraceful."

The first minister said the move to block the legislation would create a "very, very slippery slope indeed", adding that it could "normalise" and "embolden" the UK government to do the same in other areas.

"I think it is that serious. I think the import and significance of this would go beyond the particular subject matter of the legislation", she added.

Ms Sturgeon said the Scottish government would "robustly and rigorously and with a very, very high degree of confidence" defend the bill.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has previously said it was "completely reasonable" for the UK government to consider blocking the reforms.

At the weekend, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer voiced his concerns with the legislation, saying 16 was too young for such a decision to be made.

The bill was backed by the Scottish Labour Party, with the exception of two MSPs who resigned their frontbench positions to vote against it.

[focsle]

We've been talking about how the past affects a place and the scars it leaves on a location in one of my courses, and it struck me with the strongest desire to reread Lacrimore (which I did; such a good book), and I was wondering if you had any little pieces of lore or headcanons (canons?) that you'd be willing to share about Lalichai, my most beloved old man?

Ohh thank you for (re)reading! I’m so glad you enjoy it.

Some Lalichai lore! That is lightly touched upon in the text, but here’s some background to it. I like to still think of it as a headcanon though, cos I don’t like word of god business and so if it’s not directly in the text I want my own interpretation to hold as much weight as anyone else's, and no more lol. BUT ANYWAY:

For quite some time, Lalichai was pretty much a celebrity scholar on the mainland. He was very well liked, very powerful (in a celebrity sort of way rather than an political way), very wealthy. He would be the sort of person who was invited to parties as a conversation piece and to drum up interest his name would be included in the invitation itself. And for much of his life he didn’t challenge the structures around him; he leaned into them. He was society’s darling on a lot of levels. He also felt entitled to information—he would tour blighted towns for research as if they were simply on his tourism itinerary, passing through with his finery to later pontificate on other people’s grief at a podium when he returned.

But as he got older he started to change. Started to find himself at odds with the way the mainland told its narratives. The biggest upheaval was with how they handled the fever (though his purchasing of Lacrimore still had a whiff of his attitudes above, of finding novelty in tragedy…that changed dramatically when he started to realize what the house was, though). Then hearing of Vandorus’s trial further drove his attitudes home as far as how they’re reflected in the book now. And that he’s also dying himself, that shifted his perspective too. He isn’t a societal pariah like all the others on Lacrimore, but he started to be viewed as eccentric, but wasn’t considered a threat because people could just write him off as a declining mind who had his time of glory and was now off the pedestal and just a rambling old man.

So he’s more serious now, more willing to listen, more empathetic, bitterer towards the society that had uplifted him but in ways that feel sour now. But he can’t fully forget all his habits—there’s still a bit of that Aristocrat Scholar in him in how he regards the other people in his house. The people he asked to come there were people he knew weren’t in the position to say no. There’s a whiff of entitlement he holds towards them, whether it’s his handwaving telling the house staff to just deal with a growing number of impossibilities for maintaining a life on the island so he can keep shutting himself up and writing, to feeling entitled to Vandorus’s and Sivre’s own stories, it’s still there in him. But he’s been softened now, reflective on who he was, and on some level is trying to use his work at Lacrimore to make amends not only for his society but for the person he was.

Also he thinks Vandorus is a babe. He likes having him around as a nurse. At least when he’s not actively doing Medical Malpractice.

Wow that was longer than I thought lol good morning!

[pilawturkey]

Residence Permits in Turkey

Introduction

Overall, this article mainly focuses on legal requirements, duration, refusal, non-renewal or cancellation of residence permits in Turkey. As a result, the acquisition of Turkish citizenship does not fall within the scope of this paper. It is notable that Turkish immigration lawyers are of great importance in giving a Turkish citizenship and|or residence consultancy to foreign visitors. Legal practitioners face several difficulties in the field of residence permits in Turkey.

Is Turkey going to stop issuing residence permits in Turkey?

What is the Meaning of a Residence Permit?

To clarify, “residence permit” refers to ‘an official document that allows you to live in a country that you were not born in’. The term “residence permit” does not imply permanent residence. For this reason, it contains a “temporary residence permit”, granted to a foreigner for a specified period of time. Thus, residence permits need to be renewed regularly.

What is the Difference Between a Work Permit and Residence Permit?

There is a growing consensus that work permit and residence permit have very different meanings. It is, however, striking that there is also a clear connection between those terms.  Because of this relationship, a valid work permit as well as work permit exemption confirmation document issued pursuant shall be considered as a residence permit. It necessarily follows that holders of a residence or a work permit are granted to live within a specific period of time in Turkey. 

What are the Main Principles of the Turkish Legal Framework on Residence Permit?

Significantly, the Law on Foreigners and International Protection Law (No:6458) is intended to provide ‘the principles and procedures with regard to foreigners’ entry into, stay in and exit from Turkey’. The said Law plays a central role in regulating main standards and types for residence permit.

How Can You Get a Residence Permit in Turkey?

In essence, Article 29 of the Law on Foreigners and International Protection Law (No:6458) regulates the following types of residence permits:

Short-term residence permit,

Family residence permit,

Student residence permit,

Long-term residence permit,

Humanitarian residence permit,

Victim of human trafficking residence permit.

Since this paper will entirely deal with short-term residence permits, other types of residence permit go beyond the present text. This work will specifically concentrate on short-term residence permits in Turkey, as stressed above.

Which types of short-term residence permits are possible in Turkey?

Pursuant to Article 31, short-term residence permit in Turkey may be given to the foreigner who:

Conducts scientific research,

Owns immovable property in Turkey,

Establishes business or commercial connections,

Participates in on-the-job training programmes,

Arrives to attend educational or similar programmes as part of student exchange programmes or agreements to which the Republic of Turkey is a party to,

Wishes to stay for tourism purposes,

Intends to receive medical treatment, provided that they do not have a disease posing a public health threat,

is required to stay in Turkey pursuant to a request or a decision of judicial or administrative authorities,

Transfers from a family residence permit,

Attends a Turkish language course,

Attends an education programme, research, internship or, a course by way of a public agency,

Applies within six months upon graduation from a higher education programme in Turkey,

Does not work in Turkey but will make an investment within the scope and amount that shall be determined by the Council of Ministers (foreign investors and his/her spouses, minor children or foreign dependent children,

is a citizen of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

How Long is a Short-Term Residence Permit Valid in Turkey?

Generally speaking, short-term residence permits may be granted for a maximum of two years. Of course, there are also exceptions and following conditions. The duration in question is not the case for people who do not work but will make an investment in Turkey.  Also for those who are citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.  Five year duration is given to them.

As for follow-up requirements, residence permits issued for people attending a language course shall only be issued twice.

Residence permits granted to those foreigners who apply within six months upon graduation from a higher education programme in Turkey shall only be issued once with a maximum one year duration.

What is a Long Term Residence Permit?

It is of course possible to obtain a long-term residence permit in accordance with Article 42. Indeed, if you have been residing in Turkey for at least eight years on a permit, you may be found eligible for a permanent residence permit by the relevant authorities. Relevant people should make an application to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management (İl Göç İdaresi Müdürlüğü). Here is the document check list from the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey Investment Office.

What are the conditions for a short-term residence permit in Turkey?

What are the conditions for a short-term residence permit in Turkey? In summary, the involved foreigner is required to fulfill the following conditions regulated in Article 32 of the Law in question. These conditions are:

The submission of supporting documentation and information regarding the reason of stay in Turkey,

Not to fall within the scope of Article 7, designed for foreigners who shall be refused to enter into Turkey,

To live in accommodation conditions that conform to general health and safety standards,

Upon request, the presentation of criminal record certificate issued by the competent national authorities in his/her country of  citizenship or legal residence,

The submission of information on their address of stay in Turkey.

What are the Reasons For Refusal, non-renewal or Cancellation of Short-Term Residence Permit in Turkey?

What are the Reasons For Refusal, non-renewal or Cancellation of Short-Term Residence Permit in Turkey? Under the following situations, a short-term residence permit shall not be granted, shall be canceled if has been issued, and shall not be renewed when,

One or more of the conditions provided for in Article 32 are not met or no longer apply;

It is established that the residence permit is used outside the purposes of those it is issued for;

There is a current removal decision or an entry ban to Turkey in respect to the foreigner,

Upon violation regarding the period which is lived outside of Turkey.

What are the New Rules for Residence Permits in Turkey For 2023?

Owing to a legislative change on Article 20 of the Regulation on the Implementation of the  Law on Turkish Citizenship (No:5901), a new acquisition type of Turkish citizenship enters into force. When foreigners deposit at least USD 500.000 or equivalent foreign currency or Turkish lira in the private pension system with the condition of holding this fund for three years, as attested by Insurance and Private Pension Regulation and Supervision Agency, they may gain Turkish citizenship. Moreover, the minimum amount of investment for home purchase-based citizenship has been increased. The acquisition of Turkish citizenship requires a comprehensive legal guidance by Turkish citizenship lawyers.

Conclusion

Having regard to the aforementioned observations, even the types and legal requirements of short-term residence permit is not simple; albeit very confusing. To conclude, a foreigner should be aware of his/her desire, interest and personal necessities about residence permit. But that is not enough. Accordingly, in order to avoid any unexpected challenges, every single step should be taken carefully. Therefore, a foreigner also needs high-quality and on-the-ground advice by English speaking lawyers in Turkey for a right direction.