Page 77 of Betting on the Best Friend
Do I have any idea of how to be around Ruby without wanting her like a bee wants nectar? No. Not a clue. But my life is better for having our shared friends in it, and it’s better for having her in it. She’s worth figuring this out for.
Not sure there’s arightway to start, so I just . . . start. We’ve done a month of surface-level texting, so I go past that. I tell her the thing that I’ve been thinking about more and more as I spend time around Oliver, hearing about the growth of his company and how much he loves the work he’s doing.
What if I don’t want to be a librarian forever?
Probably a good thing.
If you were a librarian forever, it would mean you’re immortal.
That’s bad?
You might run out of content
Books, shows
I can’t even keep up with everything now
How would I run out?
RUBY
Are there no movies in the future?
I don’t want to be immortal
I already said that’s probably a good thing
What if I don’t want to be a librarian for long?
. . . Doesn’t sound hypothetical . . .
The average American adult has 34 careers before retiring
That’s not true
No, but it’s a lot
. . .
National Labor Board says 12
How many have you had?
2. Need to switch up soon if I want to hit 12
Part of my clarity over the last month has been about what I love about my job. It’s Ruby.
Everything else I just like. I’ve found myself wondering about what I might want to do instead. Not sneakers. But I’ve started to have some ideas. And there’s no one I’d rather talk it over with than Ruby.
Ruby, who hates change, and I just hinted at another huge one. I guess this is where we start testing if we can be friends on equal terms, friends when I’m not focused on being what Ruby needs, but just on being.
It’s a couple of hours before I hear from her, and she jumps right in.
I hate this idea
But if it’s going to be a thing
Do not pick rock star, lawyer, trust fund baby, genius scientist, or software mogul.
