Episode 5

“No.”

“Is she your girlfriend?”

“No. I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“Then, who is it?”

“Her name is…um…”

“You don’t know?”

“Valeria.”

“Venereal?”

He laughed. “Valeria.”

Clearly, I’d interrupted some kind of tryst.

“Well, I’ll let you get back to that.”

His tone was urgent. “Don’t hang up.”

“I’m pretty sure you need to go back to Valeria.”

“No, I don’t. She went back to the room, anyway. She’s not out here anymore.”

“Well, you don’t want to make her wait.”

“She can wait.”

“I’d better go.”

“Rana, don’t hang up yet. Will you drunk dial me again? I feel like I’m not done with your crazy.”

“Goodnight, Landon.” I hung up

My heart was pounding. The whole thing seemed surreal. Did that actually just happen?

How awkward that he was with a woman and carrying on a conversation with me.

I couldn’t sleep that night. All I could think about was this image of Landon smoking by the beach in California. I fantasized about the ocean air as I wondered about what he actually looked like now.

When the insomnia wouldn’t let up, I pulled myself out of bed and walked over to my closet before taking out the backpack of notes and randomly selecting one to unfold.

Rana Banana,

Why do your clothes always smell like weird spices? It makes me want to go to Taco Bell.

Landon

P.S. You think your dad could drive us to Taco Bell some time?

The next afternoon, I passed my roommate on the way out.

“Have a nice day, Lenny.”

He simply grunted as he took his lunch to his room. I didn’t care whether he acknowledged me or not, as long as he didn’t bother me or suffocate me in my sleep.

Dodging puddles, I rushed to the bus stop as my cell phone vibrated.

I picked up without checking the caller ID. “Hello?”

His voice was unexpected. “I feel like we ended on a weird note last night.”

“I’m pretty sure the whole thing was weird, Landon. Not just the ending.”

“Well, I prefer happy endings.”

“I bet you do.”

He laughed. “Hey, I meant to ask you before you hung up on me…did you ever figure out the Rubik’s Cube?

What an odd question. Then, I remembered that at one time, mastering the cube by matching all of the colors was an important life goal.

“No. No, I didn’t.”

“Neither, did I. It wasn’t from lack of trying. But I figured maybe you never did, either.”

“How were you so sure I never figured it out?”

“Well, you left your cube behind in the old apartment, for one. You couldn’t have been that dedicated. I still have it.”