Page 113 of Wrench

---

thai. An egg noodle dropped on the table. ¡°Whoops.¡±

¡°You¡¯re sanitizing that before you leave.¡± I laughed and deliberately turned to Ellen

and asked, ¡°Did you see on the news they are thinking about mending the broken

infrastructure around Mascid? That¡¯d be nice.¡±

¡°Oh, that¡¯d be great. I can¡¯t stand those damn potholes. My old green minivan can¡¯t

survive many more!¡± Ellen said and I smirked at the conversation change. Unfortunately,

too soon, and Lizzie quickly caught it.

¡°Nice try, Sam,¡± Lizzie said. ¡°I just graduated from the college dating game. Do you

think I don¡¯t know that look?¡±

¡°What look?¡±

¡°That look people get when someone you¡¯re into isn¡¯t texting you back.¡±

¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± I said.

¡°You¡¯re all¡­¡± She tapped her chopsticks to her lips as she pondered before slumping

her shoulders forward exaggeratedly. ¡°Droopy.¡±

¡°Droopy?¡±

¡°Yeah. You keep perking up before you check your phone, then¡­¡± she repeated the

same slumped-over motion as before, ¡°¡­you droop.¡±

I rolled my eyes, brushing it off. ¡°I¡¯m just expecting an email, that¡¯s all.¡±

¡°Uh-huh,¡± Lizzie said. ¡°What for?¡±

¡°I¡¯m¡­ applying for a loan for a mortgage,¡± I lied with a straight face. Ellen¡¯s eyes lit up

with excitement, but Lizzie tilted her neck and raised her brows with doubt.

¡°Oh, that¡¯s fantastic!¡± Ellen said. ¡°You¡¯re buying? Not renting? Huge step, but you¡¯re

mature enough. Oh, congratulations. You deserve this win.¡±

Lizzie, however, didn¡¯t share the sentiments about my future imaginary house.

¡°Uh-huh,¡± she said. ¡°Have you looked at any?¡±

¡°Yeah, a few.¡±

¡°Which neighborhoods?¡±

¡°Riverside and Eastview, mainly.¡±

¡°How many bedrooms?¡±

¡°Two bedrooms, one bath.¡±

---