Page 125 of Flirtasaurus
“Glad to hear it, glad to hear it.”
“And, uh… the star business is just fine, thanks. I’m actually not at this museum anymore, though.”
“Oh, no?” my mom asks.
“No. I’m exploring some new possibilities.”
“Well, that’s your MO, right?”
“What’s that, Ken?”
“New possibilities… new frontiers? Space. The neeeeew frontier.” Dad busts out an admirable, if inaccurate, impression of theStar Trekopening credits.
“Dad,” I say. “It’s, um… it’s actually thefinalfrontier.”
“I don’t think so, Lope! I’m pretty sure it’s the new frontier! Isn’t it, Ralph?” He looks at my ex-boyfriend for confirmation. God, I hate thinking about him as myex-boyfriend..
I lock eyes with Ralph for a single moment, get bold, and say, “Yeah, Ralph. Which one is it? Is it possible it could be anewfrontier? Or is it really final?”
He pauses, and for a second, I swear I see a flicker in his eyes that gives me hope. A flicker of that spark that’s always been between us. But as soon as I see it…
“I don’t know, Calliope. It all feels pretty final to me.”
…it fizzles out.
I’m not one to speak in metaphors. Or code. Neither is Ralph. That’s one of the things I’ve loved about our connection from day one. We speak our minds. We speak our truth. Even when it butts up against the other person’s.
I don’t even recognize us right now.
“Well, whichever the hell it is, I hope you’re happy on your next gig, kid. What’s it gonna be? Still figuring it out?”
“Uh, no,actually. I’m heading down to Mexico in just a few days.”
My stomach drops at that news.
“Mexico! Por qué, my amigo?” My dad laughs and turns to my mom. “You hear that, honey? My high school español still has piernas!”
“What’s in Mexico, Ralph?” Mom asks.
That’s exactly what I want to say.What the hell is in Mexico, Ralph?
“I’m working at the Chicxulub crater in the Yucatan Peninsula for the summer.”
“Was that English, kid?” My dad chortles. “Speak to me like I’m a toddler when it comes to this stuff, will ya?”
“Sure, yeah.” Ralph chuckles. “The Chicxulub crater is the spot…”
“…where a massive asteroid hit the Earth over sixty-five million years ago and led to the extinction of the dinosaurs,” I finish the answer for him.
“That’s right,” Ralph says and spares a glance at me for the first time since I walked up to join them.
“Congrats,” I say softly. “That’s… amazing.”
“Thanks, Callie.”
He called me Callie. Should I be getting my hopes up that he called me Callie?
“Well, long-distance relationships can be hard, I know. Calliope’s mother did a semester abroad our junior year of high school, and it nearly killed me. But you and Lopey are strong. I can tell.” Dad puts an arm around each of us and gives us a shake. “Don’t you kids let this get you down. I can say with total confidence that this is not going to get in the way of your budding bodacious relationship.”
