Why are you awake?
Because I’m crazy.
Lee is leaving soon.
Have you talked to her?
Not really. Haha I think she wishes I were gone and she could steal the girls.
Yikes.
Thanks for not judging.
I judge everyone constantly.
Me too.
So does Lee.
Yeah.
I’m closing my eyes.
Are you sober?
Yes.
I’m proud of you.
Are you going to text him?
No.
I’m proud of you, too.
71
Cord
Oh, for the love ofGod, the AA meeting was located at his mom’s awful Catholic church. Cord stared at the building, feeling sick. He’d spent countless Sunday mornings trapped in the pews of St. James the Less, often feeling dizzy and hot—childhood disassociation? And what the hell was the “less” part of St. James the Less? Cord asked the AI chatbot on his spanking new iPhone, who explained that “the less” also meant “the younger.” Hm! That was completely useless knowledge—thanks for nothing, artificial intelligence!
His new phone had also come with the Sweethearts app installed. (“It’s cute,” the AT&T salesperson had said, “like a shortie in your pocket.”) As he forced himself to walk toward the eerie white church (he had the feeling he was in a horror film), Cord received a love note from his “sweetheart.” Cord’s sweetheart said,I’m thinking about you—are you thinking about me?
There had to be some way to take the Sweethearts app off his phone; talk about creepy. But then hewasactually thinking about his fake wife, wasn’t he? And mightn’t it be much easier to have a partner who didn’t have needs or demands? A shortie in your pocket whom you didn’t have to worry about? Whom you couldn’t hurt?
What is a shortie? Cord asked AI.
“Shortie” is a term that can have several meanings depending on the context:
A slang term of endearment or nickname for someone who is short in height
A slang term sometimes used to refer to a woman or girlfriend (particularly in hip-hop culture)
