Okay is fine, I tell myself. Okay means received. Okay means no follow-up required. Okay means this is handled.
I should put the phone down.
I don’t.
Another message appears.
Hildy:
Thanks for letting me know. Always good to have a heads up.
There it is. Polite. Sharp around the edges. Like a knife wrapped in a napkin.
I type before I can reconsider.
Me:
I didn’t want to mess up the morning.
The bubble appears again. This time it stays.
I wait.
Hildy:
Very thoughtful of you.
That’s it. That’s the stab. Right?
I exhale slowly through my nose, resisting the urge to respond defensively. She’s tired. Overtired people are allowed to be prickly. I’ve spent enough time in locker rooms to know that.
I choose restraint.
Me:
It’s not a big change. I just don’t want it to throw Lucy off. We’ll be in early if the storm passes.
There’s a pause this time. Longer. Long enough that I consider the possibility she’s fallen back asleep.
Then my phone buzzes again.
Hildy:
Sure. Early is relative.
I close my eyes briefly, trying not to dissect that, but how could I not?
Aleks looks over from his side of the room. “Everything okay?”
“Fine,” I say automatically.
He squints. “You look like you’re arguing with someone who isn’t here.”
“I’m not arguing,” I reply. “I’m updating.”
He laughs softly. “Updating?”
I ignore him and look back at my phone.
