Page 13 of Erase Me
“As far as context goes, yes.”
“Okay.Six months.No, it was less,” he corrected.“But can I get back to telling the Austen part of the story?”
I took another quarter of a sandwich.“Please do.I’ve been waiting all day.”
His eyes sparked with a playful glint, amused that I was teasing him.“Over that very, very,veryshort time that we were together, she’d moved boxes and boxes of her stuff into my apartment.Now, the weird part?When we called it quits, after thatexceptionallyshort period, I carefully boxed up all of her belongings, thinking she’d want them back.Imagine my surprise when she showed up, took just one thing, and casually suggested I donate the rest.”
“The one thing.Was it Jane Austen?”
“An old, dog-eared copy ofPride and Prejudice.”He shrugged.“That’s the only thing she wanted.”
I raised my coffee mug.“A woman with excellent taste.You clearly let a good one go.She and I could have been friends.”
He shook his head and smiled, pushing to his feet.“You have a very strange sense of humor.Do you want more coffee?”
“Yes, please.”I handed him my cup.
Just as Reed reappeared with the coffee mugs, my phone rang.Half an hour.Right on the dot.Payam was good.I rose to my feet and moved along the railing.
I started right in.“I’m already here.As always, the first one.”
“Do you really expect me to carry on a conversation here?”Payam retorted.
“No, of course not.”I listened to Reed settle into his chair behind me.“Our apartment is nothing to brag about, but we’re walking distance to downtown and the Pier.”
“You ask my location, now,” Payam reminded me.
“Right.Where are you now?”
“Wasting my time on the phone with you.”
I turned around, leaning against the railing, aware that Reed was attentively observing and listening to our conversation.“Do you have what we talked about?”
“I would and I will if you’d end this fucking phone call.”
“Okay.Well, with no traffic, you should be at the apartment in fifteen to twenty minutes.”
Blasted Payam ended the call, and I had to carry on like my roommate was still on the phone.
“Have you heard from anyone else?”
Staring at my bare feet, I tried to weave the story I intended to tell Reed.
“No worries.We’ll figure it out when you get here.”Pause.Smile.“I’ll be waiting at the apartment.Bye.”
I ended the call and pushed the phone into my back pocket.
He raised his cup of coffee.“Well, sounded like that wasn’t a cancellation.”
I nodded.“I have to go.”
He stood up and walked toward me.“Who is this friend?”
“Pat.”
“Married, kids, responsibilities?”
“Check, check, check.”
