Page 24 of From Nowhere

Ozzy: Who’s this?

Maren: Lol it’s Maren. You should flesh out my contact information

Ozzy: Maren who?

I laugh. It’s funny—I think.

Maren: The chicken lady. Am I that forgettable?

Ozzy: You have chickens?

Maren: Cute. What are you doing?

Ozzy: Yard work

Maren: Sounds like fun

Ozzy: It’s not

Ozzy: My daughter is helping me. She’s the best daughter in the world. When we are done I’m buying her pizza and dessert breadsticks

Maren: You’re a nice dad

Ozzy: I’m an okay dad. I should let my daughter ride her bike to school by herself

Maren: How far is the school?

Ozzy: 2 miles

Maren: I’m sure that’s a hard decision

Ozzy: It’s not. I don’t know why I haven’t let her do it

Maren: I don’t want to keep you from yard work. Thank you for the pizza. I hope you’re getting a different kind tonight

Ozzy: When did I have pizza?

I stare at the message. He needs to use emojis. Is this his idea of texting humor?

Maren: Last night. Did you fall off your bike on the way home and hit your head?

Ozzy: I don’t think so

Ozzy: Did I meet you at the bar?

I set my phone on the coffee table like it’s too hot to hold.What’s going on?

Ozzy

“Dad?”

“Huh?” I cut another wad of dried ornamental grass and shove it in the lawn bag. “Lola, you’re supposed to be helping me. What are you doing?”

“Who’s Maren?” she asks.

I freeze for a second before slowly glancing over my shoulder and squinting at her sitting on the bottom deck step, staring at my phone screen. “Why are you messing with my phone?”

“I wasn’t, but then it vibrated with a message from someone named Maren. And she called herself the chicken lady when I asked who she was.”

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