Obstinacy – (ob-stuh-nuh-see)
Unwillingness to change one’s opinion or give into the persuasion of others
The basement floor cafeteria at Princemoore Memorial Hospital was relatively quiet, just the way Josh Young liked it. It was about an hour before the seven a.m. shift change, and most of the staff would either be finishing up their rounds or rushing through the final checklist of their daily paperwork routine. Josh had only been working at the hospital for a few months, but it hadn’t taken him long to figure out how to maneuver through the chaos of the food court. After an initial couple of days of long lines and cold grub he decided it was best to beat the crowd rather than be beaten by it. Behind the register he noticed Sally, a lunch lady relic who people joked came with the building, and gave her a silent nod and a smile as he made his way towards the buffet.
Each pan of food was still hot and steaming, leaving a coating of moisture on the underside of the sneeze shield. It was Friday, and that meant biscuits and gravy, Josh’s favorite. He grabbed two biscuits with a pair of tongs and split each one in half, nudging them towards the top of the plate. He then ladled on two spoonfuls of what his mother would describe as “awesomey-goodness”. He was tempted to add a third but remembered he was trying to lose a couple of pounds. Although, that didn’t stop him from completing his meal with a scoop of scrambled eggs, three strips of bacon, and a slice of whole-wheat toast. At the drink station, he filled a large styrofoam cup with piping hot coffee and a smaller one with what was labeled as “orange juice”, but Josh instead referred to it as “orange drink” for its lack of pulp and, more likely than not, vitamins.
