Page 121 of Townshipped
“His reaction! He’s going to read my text and have a reaction!”
Gabriela makes a muffled sound and then coughs like she’s covering the fact that she thinks this is hilarious.
“Why did I call you?”
I look down at the screen. The text stream with my botched message that is my worst nightmare sits mocking me. But, worse than that, the ominous three dots show up.
“Agh!” I scream into the phone.
“What?” Gabriela asks, her amusement barely cloaked.
“Are you laughing at me?”
“I’m laughing at you so hard. Sorry, mija, but this is so classic.”
“It’s not funny! He’s texting back!”
“That’s good, right?”
“No. Yes. I don’t know. I said the actual three words.”
“You said I love you?” she asks.
“No! Are you psycho?”
“No, but I’m seriously wondering if you are. What three words?”
“I miss you.”
“Nothing wrong with that, baby girl. You do miss him. Friends can miss one another. Heck, I miss my old hairdresser since she left to move so she could have year-round sunshine in Florida.”
“Not the same,” I tell her.
My phone pings with the sound of an incoming text.
“It just came through!” I shout to Gabriela.
“The text?”
“Yes!”
“What does it say?”
“I can’t look.”
“You can and you will. Don’t make me put my shoes on and get into my Prius to drive across town to your parents’ posh estate to check it myself, or you will owe me big-time. Put on your big-girl pantelones and read that text. Then we’ll talk about delivering boxed lunches in India. Though, I think you’d fit better with my tia in Caguas if you really need a new identity and relocation.”
“Okay. Okay,” I say, taking a breath. “You’re right.”
Aiden texted me. He answered. Something in my heart feels soft and hopeful. My stomach does this humming and twisting thing. I feel like there’s a trick pony inside my chest clipping along with its head held high and hooves happily prancing around in an expectant little trot.
I turn my phone toward me, pushing the speaker button so Gabriela can still hear me. Then I read Aiden’s text silently to myself.
Aiden:Hey. It's good to be missed by you. I miss you too. Granger misses you. The kids miss you. Pretty sure half Bordeaux misses you. But none of them like I do.
I squeal.
“What?” Gabriela shouts through the phone. I almost forgot she was there.
