Page 19 of Yours, For Good

"We decided we're not talking about the weather. I would much rather talk about what hides in the depths of the Pacific."

I leaned forward on the table, elbows on wood and my head resting in my hands. "Not too cynical, after all? There's too much wonder in that statement to be as full of existential angst as you say you are."

He smirked. "Oh, it's there, believe me. But I could use some wonder to balance it out, I think."

"I can offer wonder. I can offer a good conversation about your favorite sci-fi books for…" I checked the clock on my phone. "The next hour."

"Have you read The Alders?"

I had and, with a huge smile, we talked about books until we got ourselves into trouble.

Chapter 9

Date: October 3

To: Mr. Smith

From: Eleanora

Subject: A weird occurrence

My dear Mr. B.,

What a strange day today turned out to be! It was a gloriously sunny day, big fluffy clouds adding texture to an otherwise happy, blue sky. I was at the incubator's headquarters looking through the big windows, staring at the gorgeous city longingly, when Julia stormed into the room and— guess what— she asked me for a favor. That was Shock Factor 1.

She told me an uncle was in town and wanted to see her, but she was unable to drop her meeting with the mentors, and could I go entertain him for an hour or so? I agreed, wondering what on earth I could say to

entertain an uncle (and a Pendleton uncle, at that), but not feeling like I could decline. Politics, you see, require more tact than that. She and I are cordial and I already knew how to find her building; what could I really say? And I'm pretty sure no one else was free, either.

So I went and found Mister Javier Pendleton of the House of Julia in the lobby of Julia and Sally's place.

First of all, he wasn't your standard issue uncle; he is a lot younger than I had imagined, probably only a few years older than Julia and Sally and me. Second, he is tall and handsome and (the true shocker!) fun to talk to. We went to a coffee place and the conversation was awkward at first, but we quickly found common ground and ended up discussing some of our favorite books extensively. We geeked out, like the youths say (or said— I don't know, I'm not really in the loop). When he laughed, there was this instant right after when he seemed self-conscious about it.

Anyway, we had fun. So much so that when we remembered to check our phones, I had five missed calls from Julia wanting to know where we were, and he was late for his flight. Oops!

Julia was angry at me. Apparently, her uncle is a bit of a family mystery. He called himself the black sheep, but the way Julia talked about him sounded like they want to keep him close and happy. She said she'd been shocked to receive his text, and had wanted to make the most out of the opportunity (isn't that telling?) but I ruined it by monopolizing him (!!!!!).

Yeah, I don't know about that. We clicked and it just happened.

He gave me his number at the end, before we met up with Julia and before he left for the airport. He seemed to hesitate before giving it to me and I understand— we had a great chat and I had a lot of fun, but what can we really text about? I guess we'll see what happens on that front. In any case, for those two hours, it felt like we had known each other for a long time.

Sally thought the whole thing was hilarious, by the way. She called me a big nerd, when she heard Javier and I discussed books and documentaries and, yeah, I own it! And I think Julia's uncle is one, too. Kind of reserved, too. I don't know; I think the contrast was interesting.

ANYWAY. From your shadow that day you changed my life, I know you're tall, Mr. B. After meeting Javier, I'm wondering if you're about his height. He has dark hair… did you have dark hair, too, when you were young? Are your eyes blue? And are you a big nerd? I have so many questions, and so few answers…

If you still won't assuage my curiosity, at least think of me tonight.

Nora

Javier

I DIDN'T SPEND FIVE minutes at home upon my return to New York, before I grabbed my duffel bag and raced to the pool. Alone as usual when I arrived late in the evening, I pulled my goggles over my eyes and secured my waterproof headphones in place. With one of my movie music playlists singing in my ears, I pushed against the wall and lost myself into the calm of the water.

When I swam, my thoughts cleared the same way they did as when I journaled. Not writing anything down and allowing my thoughts to flow served as preparation, in a way; like I was doing a mental warm up right as I let my muscles work.

I expected to do deep thinking that night. Nora occupied a lot of my mind; even if I hadn't read her email in the changing room fifteen minutes ago, I would have had no problems keeping her in my head.

Water rushed around me as I propelled forward. Meeting her in real life had turned my brain inside out. It pushed me; originally, the plan had been to get a read of the situation. Data to assess if things may ever go the way of a friendly acquaintanceship. Chatting with her, catching the gleam in her smart eyes, hell, even laughing with her…