Thank You for Listening(39)
Still waiting for your question.
BROCK:
Still waiting to ask it.
Leaning against the replenished shelves in Mark’s garage, Sewanee texted:
Seriously?
BROCK:
You know what? Never mind.
SEWANEE:
oh COME ON!
BROCK:
It doesn’t matter.
SEWANEE:
I am never letting this go, you know that, right?
BROCK:
Ughhhh
SEWANEE:
Waiting . . .
BROCK:
Forget it.
SEWANEE:
tick tock
BROCK:
It’s just, I thought it mattered, but now I think it doesn’t.
SEWANEE:
Cool. Now tell me.
She went inside. Checked the apple supply. Put the kettle on. Refreshed the pretzels.
SEWANEE:
SERIOUSLY??
BROCK:
ok ok give me a second!!!
Please take this in the spirit with which I mean it.
I want to make sure nobody’s getting hurt.
Or confused.
I don’t want anything weird.
Between us.
In the end.
SEWANEE:
Nice haiku. Question please.
BROCK:
Blargh.
SEWANEE:
STIFFY!!!!!
The bubbles started, so Sewanee put the phone on the counter, grabbed a mug, a tea bag, promised herself she wouldn’t look at her phone until she heard it ding. Betrayed that promise thirty seconds later, felt like an idiot, had just set the phone back down on the counter when it dinged again.
BROCK:
It’s just this: since we began texting, I have gotten concerned–albeit irrationally (can’t believe I used the word ‘albeit’)–that maybe I/you/we were possibly, potentially (probably?), crossing a line.
SEWANEE:
And?
BROCK:
And . . .
I was thinking that I should ask
You
If you’re single.
(I feel like I’m in middle school for christsake.)
SEWANEE:
*pete’s sake
BROCK:
This would be easier if Pete could pass a note with check boxes to one of your friends in study hall.
SEWANEE:
So you want to know if I’m single because . . . ?
BROCK:
bcuz someone else could be looking at your phone!! You never know who’s looking at your phone!!
Not that there’s anything inappropriate.
Too inappropriate.
(for the record this is going just as badly as I predicted)
What I mean to say is THIS:
I would never want somebody to think I was coming on to his woman.
(Or her woman???)
Again with the smiling she couldn’t seem to contain. His adorable awkwardness prompted her to answer him amusingly, but sincerely. Why was her hand shaking?
SEWANEE:
You’re safe. I’m single.
His next text appeared simultaneously:
I know I can be jokey and flirty. And it might be confusing to tell what’s real and what’s not. Am I making any sense at all?
Followed instantly by:
FML Don’t read my last text PLEASE
Sewanee’s full-body laugh sloshed some tea out of her cup and onto the counter. She wiped it up with her sleeve and quickly typed: lol you kidding I’m gonna frame it.
BROCK:
sigh
So . . .
we’re good?
SEWANEE:
We’re good.
BROCK:
Thank Pete.
SEWANEE:
Thank YOU.
*
February 14
(On WhatsApp)
MOM:
Good luck today, Swanling! Today’s the day, right? We’re so happy for you!
SEWANEE:
Thanks! Yes, first episode releases in about an hour.
MOM:
Oh good we didn’t miss it. Stu wants to say something.
I mean type something.
SEWANEE:
Okay.
Go ahead, Stu.
I can see that you stopped typing. Did you press send?
Stu?
MOM:
These buttons are too damn small.
SEWANEE:
Agreed.
MOM:
But that was not what I wanted to say.
SEWANEE:
Okay.
MOM:
Wait your mother wants to know if you are going to send us the episode.
SEWANEE:
No.
MOM:
Yes! Please send. This is Mom again.
SEWANEE:
NO I am not sending.
MOM:
Can we download it?
SEWANEE:
NO no downloading.
MOM:
But we want to hear it!
SEWANEE:
NO you do not. Trust me.
MOM:
We are happy to pay for it. This is Stu.
SEWANEE:
You are not allowed to listen to it. Okay? I record 50 books a year you could listen to that aren’t Romance.
Mom tell me you understand you are not allowed to listen to it.
MOM:
We’ll see. Love, Mom.
This is what I wanted to say. We saw dolphins. We were docked. Came right up to us. Did the EE-EE-EE right to us.
Oh this is me.
Stu.
SEWANEE:
Wow! How cool!
MOM:
It was talking just to us.
SEWANEE: