Bills and Yellowstone
“Hey everyone! I’ll be visiting next week for my cousin’s wedding and am free that Friday to hang out — can anyone host at their place?”
Most double-tapped the message and a heart would appear under it. No one responded for two days.
“I can come help set up too”
Most likely the couples were discussing with each other. They were the only ones with houses.
Aren’t we seeing Jen that day?
No that’s next week.
Do you want to host?
We can host.
I guess I can make guacamole. We’ll have to move things around in the back.
The boy was tired because it was a long week at work. The other day he went to the zoo and a child bumped into his leg. His mother scolded the child and said “I’m sorry — give that man his space” and he wondered when that started happening. Last summer when they went to Rome and sat down to order a meal, the waiter had addressed them as husband and wife. That was before they were married. Was it the things you do or the way you acted?
He woke up early in the morning to drive to the city for work and the sky would still be a light grey, warming up gradually as his eyes stopped feeling dry. A sports podcast was his companion of choice on the drive over. He was grateful there was less traffic early in the morning. Sometimes he felt daring and took the bus lane.
They would host, of course, because the other couple did not want to. Well, they didn’t say that but that was what it seemed like. He drove over the bridge, staring at the steel cables on either side. Gray blanketed the city skyline. Outside his office a boy and girl walked alongside a child and held its hand. They must have the day off. He thought about how he wanted to have kids, start a family, since you could act young again with your kid. She didn’t want to have kids and they talked about it many times without changing anything.
Bills and Yellowstone and driving and crossing bridges, he thought. And guacamole — there was always guacamole. You paid the bills and you went to Yellowstone and it was a good life. No, he was happy today. A bit tired but very happy.
