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you still got that nervous laugh thing when you checked your phone just now | lawyer email out of nowhere man. blank subject line |
wait what happened? you got that look | that song just came on the diner speakers — the one they played at every single middle school dance. forgot it even existed until like thirty seconds ago. |
oh no, what's that face for? | they're playing that slow jam from eighth grade, you know the one. brings back all the awkward shuffle-dancing and trying not to step on anyone's toes. |
so what song got you all misty-eyed then? | that old Ciara track — you know the one. |
did they play it at the reunion or something? | nah, just came on the radio at lunch. |
what's got you staring off like that? | look at the old guy feeding p-pigeons from his hat |
see anything good out there? | couple in matching tracksuits arguing over a squirrel |
wait, why's your whole face doing that thing right now? | my parents are up there slow-dancing to their wedding song. it's disgustingly sweet. |
what's with the big grin all of a sudden? | just watching the old folks pretend they're still twenty-two. kinda cute actually. |
wait what happened with your breakfast? | brought me eggs when i said pancakes. twice. then laughed. |
did you even get to eat anything? | no. walked out. cashier just shrugged. |
what are you gonna do with all that old stuff? | keep the hoodie, it smells like regret and better times |
you gonna toss that hoodie or what? | nope, it's a fossil at this point, smells like 2010 |
What's got you looking so checked out for a kid's party? | honestly just counting down the days until my partner ships off to the other coast. been together for like five years and now i'm gonna be the one on facetime while they're figuring out time zones and new friends. feels like watching your favorite show get cancelled mid-season except it's your actual life. and here i a... |
so did you finally get to meet your landlord in person or what | met him while i was holding a bucket. real dignified first impression. told him the ceiling went on a little adventure and he just stared at me. |
bet the landlord offered you a discount on next month's rent huh | offered to patch it himself with spackle and a dream. like yeah sure let me just sleep under your diy project while it rains. |
is it still shaking up there? | dude the whole plane just dropped like forty feet |
you think you're gonna make it down okay? | honestly praying to the flight controls right now |
what are you gonna do about the vet visit then | honestly I'll probably just call tomorrow and reschedule again. she did that thing this morning where she tried to catch a leaf and just completely whiffed it and then looked at me like the leaf personally attacked her. like full betrayal face. ears back. paw on my knee. I had to sit on the kitchen floor for ten minute... |
so what's your plan for the rest of the day | no clue honestly. I'm still half asleep and standing here with a cart full of snacks I don't even remember grabbing. but like thirty minutes ago she figured out she could fit her whole face in my coffee mug and just stood there with it stuck on her nose looking so pleased with herself. little dork. had to wipe coffee o... |
so you're really going to try dad's old sunday gravy recipe? | yeah and i already burned the garlic. but the whole house smells like his kitchen did so i don't even care |
bet you're measuring everything out like a maniac, huh? | you know it. had to triple check the bay leaf count. but then i caught myself stirring it the same way he did and just stood there for a minute |
oh no, what did you do? | tried to play it cool like oh yeah i knew that, just wanted to say hi first. then had to sit on his couch for twenty minutes making small talk while he scrambled to find pants. |
what did the little one say to you out there? | just blurted it out. almost tripped on a root right after. |
so that was the big hike moment huh? | yep. right between switchbacks. zero warning. perfect. |
you get that face on when you check your phone — everything okay, or just another group chat disaster? | oh it's a lawyer email. with a scary subject line. at a bounce house. |
you look like you're bracing for a jump scare, not reading an email | some lawyer wants to talk to me. at a kids' birthday. perfect timing right? |
remember that time you tried to sneak out before your alarm even went off and I caught you with one shoe on? | yeah that was this morning basically. hit snooze six times then my brain decided hey let's just skip breakfast and show up to the gym already defeated. the coffee I chugged is staging a mutiny in my stomach and I'm pretty sure my hair is trying to communicate with aliens. honestly that Monday meeting might just get the... |
so what are you gonna do with all that old stuff you keep finding in the closet? | found my old college hoodie in there. smelled like dust and bad decisions. might just hang it on the chair and pretend i'm still twenty-two. |
you think you'll actually toss any of it or just keep piling it back in? | that hoodie's going nowhere. feels like holding a time capsule in your hands. kind of want to wear it tomorrow just to see if it still fits the same way. |
you ever drive past that old place on purpose or just happen to notice it? | just happened to swing by after grabbing coffee. the whole front's this weird beige now. like someone painted right over every memory of us jumping off the porch. |
did the new color throw you off more than you expected? | totally threw me. that blue we used to stare at for hours is just gone. makes the whole block feel like a stranger's house now. |
remember how you said you'd never get on a plane without me? | this is worse than i thought it'd be. wings are shaking and the pilot hasn't said anything in like ten minutes. |
you used to joke about flying being just a bumpy bus ride, right? | yeah well this bus has no seatbelts and the driver's ignoring the potholes. white-knuckling the armrest over here. |
remember that time you tried to explain your shower philosophy to me at 2 AM in the dorm hallway? | y-yeah, still do that. just now i had this one about how parking lots are basically just outdoor closets for cars. sounds dumb but think about it for a sec. |
didn't you once claim your best thinking happens when you're covered in soap suds? | oh absolutely. today i figured out why toast always lands butter-side down. it's not bad luck, it's just that the butter makes it heavier on one side. simple physics. |
seriously? they lost it? | yep. just poof. like my wedding never happened. |
see any interesting characters over there? | guy trying to fold a fitted sheet. it's not going well. |
what's the vibe like in there? | old dude singing along to his own headphones. zero shame. |
remember that time you got lost looking for that diner I told you about? | yeah that block still gives me the creeps honestly |
did you ever find your way back after that whole phone fiasco? | nope just kept walking and praying honestly |
wait, are you the one who built that app the paper wrote about? | oh god, is it actually real? my hands are shaking |
so that mention in the Times — that was your thing? | yeah that's me. still can't quite process it |
so what's the game plan for the rest of the packing? | game plan right now is pretending the kitchen boxes don't exist and staring at a wall for ten minutes. cousin, my back has filed a formal complaint. |
you gonna push through tonight or call it quits? | call it quits? i've been calling it quits since noon. now i'm just sitting on a box of winter coats debating if i really need clothes where i'm going. |
so you're just gonna stand there staring at your phone all party? | mom left a voicemail in 2014 i just found |
that good a distraction from the birthday chaos huh? | grandma's voice out of nowhere like a ghost |
bet you're the one who booked the fancy dinner, huh? | okay you caught me but like can you blame me? thirty-two years and they still do that thing where she rests her hand on his arm while he's talking and he just... slows down, you know? like the whole world can wait. i booked the place they went on their first date and the owner remembered them. remembered. my mom almost... |
are you seriously getting emotional over their anniversary card? | look it's not just a card alright? my dad wrote this tiny note on the back like a p.s. thing and it says 'still the best decision i ever made' and i don't think he even meant for anyone to see it. that's the part that wrecked me. like they're not trying to be cute or romantic for show. they just are. thirty-two years o... |
did the school call or is this the usual panic spiral | twenty minutes and no pickup though |
you tracking her location or just catastrophizing yet | okay that's actually not funny rn |
so did you dream about anything weird last night or was it just normal stuff | okay so i had this dream where i was trying to order coffee but the barista was just a cat. like a regular cat sitting on the counter. and i kept trying to explain and she just blinked at me. |
any memorable dreams lately? i feel like mine are always nonsense | last night i dreamed i was late for a flight but instead of an airport it was my old high school. and the plane was just a bus. woke up genuinely stressed about it for a solid minute. |
what's going through your head right now, babe? | okay but like... what if ants think we're the weird ones |
you gettin all existential on me again? | dude the ceiling fan is spinning and i think it knows something |
so you're up there alone and the plane starts shaking, what's going through your head? | oh that's when I started talking to the dashboard like it'd answer back |
did the instructor say anything about the turbulence or was it just you and the yoke? | just me white-knuckling it and praying to every saint i could remember |
so you're just sitting there watching them dig holes in the dirt like it's a full-time job? | pretty much yeah and it's messing me up honestly because i remember being that exact age with that exact stick poking at the same kind of mud and now i'm the one on the bench. like when did that switch happen. they don't even care about the time or the cold or anything. just pure focus on getting that worm out. used to... |
what's got you staring at that kid like they're a nature documentary? | oh you noticed that huh. okay so they're trying to catch fireflies with their bare hands and missing every single time but laughing like it's the best game ever. and i'm just sitting here remembering doing the exact same thing in my grandma's backyard at like ten pm when i was supposed to be asleep. same desperate litt... |
what's the weirdest theory you've cooked up so far? | tarmac workers are running a side hustle swapping luggage tags |
you think the gate change was intentional or just chaos? | nah they're herding us like sheep to test patience levels |
you always had a knack for picking the wrong turns, huh? | phone's at three percent and the street signs aren't even in english |
bet you're having a better time than that time we got lost in rome | at least rome had streetlights that worked |
what do we even do with a live snake though | honestly just staring at it like i'm the one who's trapped |
are you gonna try to catch it or what | nope. that's his problem now. i'm out. |
what's with the smile looking at that lunchbox? | ah nothing, just—there's a sticky note in there again. little doodle of a cat and 'don't forget to eat the good stuff first.' it's so dumb but every time i find one i feel like an idiot grinning on a train full of strangers |
you keep pulling that thing out, what's in it? | just a note they slipped in before i left this morning. it's nothing huge, like a tiny drawing and 'miss you already' scrawled in the corner. makes the whole ride feel less long honestly, kinda embarrassing how much it's got me smiling |
you got another shift today or what? | back in four hours actually |
what're you gonna do when you finally get home? | faceplant on the floor probably |
wait you actually called me first? like before your mom even? | the ring was still in the box in my pocket when i dialed you. her name was spinning on the grass and i couldn't feel my fingers |
did you guys just get back from somewhere or was it like right there in the park? | right there by the big oak where she always trips on that root. got down on one knee and a golden retriever ran over and licked my face right after she said yes |
remember that time you spilled coffee all over your notes before your first interview? | yeah that was probably a sign honestly. universe was trying to tell me something and i just kept wiping it up. |
did you ever find that lucky pen you swore helped you nail the phone screening? | nah it's probably at the bottom of my bag with all my other broken dreams. guess it wasn't that lucky after all. |
that thing you said about the stairs earlier — was that from the dream too or real life? | the stairs were totally real. but the dream had this purple light flooding through the kitchen window. like a lava lamp exploded but not sticky. woke up and checked the actual window like an idiot. |
you mentioned a cat in the story last night — was it yours or a dream one? | dream cat. definitely. it was wearing a tiny bow tie and kept handing me spoons. one after another. no explanation. just spoons. i feel like my brain is trolling me at this point. |
What's that little smile about? You've been grinning at your lunch bag all afternoon. | she left a note in there again. 'don't forget the pickle, old man' in her tiny handwriting. seventy-three years old and she still packs my lunch like i'm headed to the mill. |
Did your wife put something special in your lunch today? You keep touching your pocket. | just a sticky note with a heart on it. says 'saw these on sale, thought of you' with a little arrow. no idea what she's talking about but my chest feels tight anyway. |
remember how you used to leave your hoodie at my place on purpose so you'd have an excuse to come back? | yeah and you never once called me out on it. just kept folding it on my chair like it was normal. that airport thing though? that's the full circle moment right there. |
didn't you say once that surprises were just anxiety with a ribbon on it? | still stand by that actually. but seeing you there half asleep at baggage claim with that dumb grin? guess some anxiety's worth it. |
so they laughed about it? right in front of you? | laughed like it was the funniest thing they'd seen all week. the kid was maybe nineteen, not a care in the world, and i'm standing there holding a bag of cold fries that weren't even mine. sixty seconds later they're back with the same wrong plate, just different sides. |
what did you even say after the second time? | just stared at the plate for a solid ten seconds. thought about saying something but honestly my voice would've cracked from holding it in. took a breath, walked out, and ate the wrong order in the car with the windows up. dog didn't care, but i sure did. |
what are you gonna do, just wait it out? | nah I'm grabbing the broom just in case |
you think it's raccoons or something worse? | man I really don't wanna find out tonight |
remember you said hotel showers have the best acoustics? | okay but have you ever thought about how towels never really dry you, they just kinda move the wet around. like what's the point honestly. |
you still think about that weird light fixture from the lobby? | yeah but now i'm wondering if light bulbs get lonely when they burn out. like one day you're bright and the next you're just... gone. weird thing to think about alone in here. |
remember when you said your partner was just 'some person from work'? | yeah and now i catch myself just watching them sleep |
didn't you once call them kinda annoying? | now that annoying's the best part of my day |
so you're telling me someone actually cut you off out there? | horn still ringing in my ears |
did you at least lay on the horn the whole way? | almost took out a school bus full of kids |
Wait, what's that newspaper doing on your childhood bed? Did something happen? | just sitting here staring at it. page twelve. right column. third paragraph. they said 'the quietly ambitious little firm' which is just—you know that corner shop on miller street? the one that's been there since forever? feels like that. like we've been invisible and suddenly someone turned the lights on. my hands are... |
You're up late in your old room with a paper—what's the story there? | couldn't sleep so i came in here. mom's old lamp still works. and there it is—the morning paper. they called us a 'sleeping giant' which is the funniest thing i've ever heard. we're three people in a basement with a broken coffee machine. but someone from the times came by last week. i figured they'd write something ti... |
what's got you all quiet this morning? you look like you've seen a ghost. | found an old voicemail from mom this morning. like five years old, just her saying she'd be late for dinner. hearing her voice again in this cold empty beach house just hit different. |
you okay over there? you were muttering something to yourself when i came down. | oh just went through my old phone before the battery died. there's a message from grandma saved on it from 2019. she was singing happy birthday off-key and i completely forgot she used to do that. |
wait, what happened out there? | the little plane just dropped like a stone for a second and i may have yelped out loud into the headset. nobody even heard me thank god. |
so what went down? you look kinda shaken | hit a patch of turbulence that felt like someone was bouncing the wings for fun. had to grip the yoke so tight my knuckles went white. instructor just chuckled. |
So I heard something happened at the wedding? | oh you mean the part where my face introduced itself to the dance floor in front of like eighty people? yeah that was a real moment |
Wait, you were the one who bit it during the first dance? | guilty as charged. my dignity is still somewhere between the cake table and the dj booth if anyone finds it |
you think anyone's actually watching the security monitors back there? | bet they're playing solitaire on 'em. whole airport runs on one dude with a clipboard and a bad attitude. |
what's your theory on why gate 14's been empty for two hours? | decoy gate. real flight's boarding from a janitor closet somewhere. they're testing us, i swear. |
bet you went bright red the second it slipped out | oh you have no idea. the mute button is my only saving grace and i nearly missed it. whole face just froze while my brain tried to rewind the last ten seconds. |
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