Page 51 of Heat Advisory

What did you do to him?

Hazel:

Nothing!

Anna:

How does an octopus throw something at you?

Gale:

Octopuses exhibit object-throwing behavior when they are displeased or not cognitively stimulated.

Iris:

That’s science for “he hates you.”

Hazel:

I already fed him and gave him a toy to play with. He’s just being an asshole.

Me:

On the bright side, scallops are soft, so at least you didn’t get hurt.

Gale:

Actually, that’s just the part you eat. It’s probably still in its shell in the exhibit.

Hazel:

It is. The soft part is on the inside… He threw the whole shell at me. It was definitely hard and also cut the side of my forehead.

Anna:

Just recapping… An octopus threw a seashell at you…hit you in the head…and cut your face? Did I read that right?

Iris:

LOL I needed this convo today.

I was with Iris. I loved my sister, but this was hilarious.

I missed all of them and wished we lived closer. The biggest problem was that we all worked jobs that operated 365 days a year—except Gale. But Gale still helped out on the family farm, which was a year-round job itself, so it was hard for all of us to sync our schedules, even for holidays.

Chatting with them calmed me, centered me in a way that made me feel good from the inside out. And I needed that goodness. Tomorrow we were leaving for the wedding, and I was so nervous.

I decided I could use this time to ask for some advice. Plus, this conversation definitely needed a topic change.

Me:

I need help.

Hazel:

Is this regarding men, friend drama, or work?

Iris: