Henry
When I open the door to my building I get blasted with Bruce Springsteen singing “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.” Gilberto is working the desk.
“Hola, Gilberto.”
I get the elevator to myself, so I close my eyes and take a deep breath and try to imagine Brynn riding up with me. When I open my eyes again, it’s still just me.
Ding.
I flip the TV on when I get inside, toggle to Hulu, then Live, then Movies, then stumble upon Edward Scissorhands. It’s the scene at the beginning where Dianne Wiest goes to Edward’s castle to try to sell him Avon.
I wonder if Grace has seen this. I assume she has, because everyone our age has. There’s no sister-swapping as far as I can remember.
As I reach for my iPhone, it buzzes with a text. Grace must be voice texting again because there’s a novella’s worth of words on my screen. Are you still up? are the ones that catch my eye first, and I laugh and text her back.
I was just thinking about you. Isn’t it a little early for a booty text?
I look at the screen, waiting for Grace to write back before I realize that it wasn’t Grace who texted me. The message came from someone I don’t have in my contacts.
I’m sorry?
This text arrives as I’m reading the first one.
Hi, Henry. Are you still up? This is Meredith. We met the other day at my shop. Your brother gave me your number. I know this is short notice and probably so random, but any chance you want to come out for a drink with my co-workers and me tonight?
“Oh shit,” I say.
Then my phone rings, startling me so much that I drop it. This time it is Grace.