“That’s something I do for special occasions. It’s not an everyday thing. And it’s not that I’m bored. It’s that I just want new experiences is all.”
“Yeah, but with your money, you could go off to Africa and help build schools. There’s experience there. Why are you staying here, in New York, when you could literally go anywhere in the world?”
I grip the steering wheel tighter and say, “I can’t leave here for long.”
“Why not?” she asks.
“Because of Mika,” I answer as I stop at a light.
“Oh,” she says, and I can see her working through the information. She knows what I’m talking about. She’s stayed by his side through the mental health struggles he’s dealt with.
“I’m not comfortable leaving him,” I continue. “Not when I know there are times in his life when he looks to me, when he needs me. I could do whatever I want, but being here, close to him, that’s what matters to me the most.”
“I never really thought about that,” she replies. “Makes me think that the chance of you murdering me is now at an all-time low.”
That makes me laugh out loud. “Why do you say that?”
“Because you’re not just a robot in a pair of jeans and a beanie. There’s a heart in there.”
“Yeah, there’s a heart,” I say. “Beating and everything.”
“Fascinating. What’s that like?”
“Thrilling,” I answer.
“Okay, what’s the plan?” I ask now that we’re out of the congested city and driving on the Taconic State Parkway. “What do you need me to do and most importantly not do? I want to make sure I get this right for you.”
“I’m glad you asked. I was talking to Mika, and he was telling me about your improv classes. I really know nothing about improv, so I’m a bit clueless there, but he told me the first rule to improv is you always say ‘yes, and…’”
“That’s correct,” I say.
“Well, I need you to drop that rule.”
I glance at her quickly. Has she lost her mind? “That goes against the very tenets of improv.”
“I understand that,” she replies. “And I’m sorry to impose such a harsh rule, but I can’t have you out in the wild saying yes to everything.”
“What could I possibly be saying yes to? All the camp activities are nonnegotiable. We have to do them. It’s not like you can pick and choose. Trust me, I was looking for an à la carte option when I was researching.”
“It’s not really the activities. It’s more about who is going to be there.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I was speaking to Ellison on Friday and telling her how we’re headed up to the camp, and she happily informed me that we weren’t the only couple from the office.”
“Oh, is she going to be there?”
“She and the Brads and Chad from the office that I can’t stand.”
“Oh shit, really?”
“Yeah, and Chad in particular, as he’s the reason I’m in this whole mess.” She pauses and then adds, “I mean, sure, it was my big mouth that got me into this situation in the first place, but he was the one who questioned me.”
“Tell me what happened,” I say, curious about the timeline of events.
She sighs heavily. “To keep it short and sweet, everyone was bragging about doing something with their significant other this past weekend, and I felt left out, so when it was my turn, I talked about me and my husband. Well, Chad pointed out I wasn’t wearing a ring. I told him we were going through marriage troubles, and that’s when Ellison pulled me to the side. So yeah, he called me out in front of the company. He’s a dick.”
“Sounds like a giant one at that.”
