Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 106538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 533(@200wpm)___ 426(@250wpm)___ 355(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 533(@200wpm)___ 426(@250wpm)___ 355(@300wpm)
Maren: Because you don’t think Bandit deserves a tree house?
Ozzy: I was dragging ass yesterday, but Saturday night was so worth it. When do you want to sneak out again?
Maren: I empathize with Lola. The way you dismiss Bandit is heartbreaking
Ozzy: You should send me pictures of Bandit
She sends me a half dozen pics of the tiger-striped kitten in the next ten seconds.
Ozzy: lol how many are on your phone?
Maren: Let’s just say I had to pay for more cloud storage
Ozzy: Lola has therapy after school. We usually go out to dinner on therapy nights. What if you happened to be at Build a Bowl around five-thirty?
Maren: Two chance encounters in a few days?
Ozzy: Too suspicious?
Maren: I’m good at faking it
Ozzy: Noted
Maren: Omg! No! Not that
“Maren? Maren Bernabe?” my nosy coworker asks, disrupting me.
I turn my phone face down on the table as Ira sits beside me with her white take-out bag that smells like fries.
She eyes me with a shit-eating grin while adjusting her black-and-gray-streaked ponytail. Ira’s the only female A&P mechanic at this base. She’s been here the longest; according to Taylor, she’s a genius. So everyone looks over her shoulder to see what she does that’s so extraordinary.
Can I complain that she looked over my shoulder just now?
“What’s for lunch?” I nod to her bag as she opens it.
“Oswald, are you ignoring my question? Were you texting Maren Bernabe? I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Ira pulls out a chicken sandwich and fries before handing me the sack with stray fries at the bottom.
I don’t turn them down. “Hypothetically, if I was texting her, why don’t you think it’s a good idea?” I’m not conceding that she’s a genius. But she has more than ten years of life experience over me, so I’m open to her wisdom.
“Your daughter lost her mother in a car accident. And the effects were so catastrophic that you ride a bicycle everywhere. So you think it’s a smart idea to date a woman who flies a plane over wildfires?”
She’s one of only a few people here who know why I ride my bike to work. I’ve found that the women here are more curious and sense the trauma behind my behavior. In contrast, the guys, including my boss, assume I’m a pussy tree hugger obsessed with my carbon footprint.
“I think my wife had one of the least dangerous jobs in the world, yet she died,” I say.
Ira stops midchew and glances at me, eyebrows forming two perfect peaks. She has grease on her cheek. “Oh my god,” she mumbles with a mouthful, her words muffled. “You really like her.”
“It’s new. I’m not telling anyone. So, can you keep a secret?”
She swallows, shaking her head. “No. I’m the worst secret keeper. Ask anyone.” She sips her drink through the straw. “But I’ll try.”
“That’s not comforting, Ira. But I have faith in you.” I scoot my chair back and stand. “I know you can keep this between us. Taylor says you’re a genius.” I grab my water bottle and lunch bag. “But I know you’re more than that. You’re a trusted friend.” I squeeze her shoulder, and she leans into my touch.
“Aw, Oswald, you think of me as a friend?”
“If you keep my secret,” I say, heading toward the door, “you might be my best friend.”
Brynn used to say that people will exceed your expectations if you let them know what you expect. If you set failure as an expectation, they can fail miserably, or they can be smashing successes if you set the bar high.
I’m setting the bar high for Ira, my friend.
Chapter Thirteen
Ozzy: You’re a good kisser
I feel like a giddy kid as I text Maren from the waiting room while Lola has her therapy session.
Maren: I know
Ozzy: Apparently you’re confident too
Maren: What are you doing?
Ozzy: Waiting for Lola to finish her therapy session
Maren: I thought men liked confident women
Ozzy: I don’t speak for all men. I like real women
Maren: My boobs are real
I softly laugh.
Ozzy: But is your confidence? Is it genuine?
Maren: Depends on the day
Ozzy: That’s the right answer
Maren: How so?
Ozzy: Confidence is a state of being
Maren: That’s deep. Are you in therapy too?
Ozzy: I married a deep woman who made me a little less shallow
Maren: Haha I love that
Maren: Am I allowed to talk to Lola about Bandit?
Ozzy: Not sure yet. I’m waiting to see her reaction to accidentally running into you again
Maren: Reaction?
Ozzy: I need to know if she can be cool about it or if she’s going to embarrass me by asking you personal questions
Maren: She can ask me anything
Ozzy: Don’t say that
Maren: Ozzy?
Ozzy: Yes?
Maren: You’re a good kisser too
Ozzy: I know
When a young couple comes into the office, I slide my phone into my jacket pocket. A few minutes later, Lola emerges.
“I’m starving,” she says while rubbing her tummy.