Page 34 of Out of Office

My new cell phone ringtone. The best sound in the world. I only liked this ringtone, the one I programmed when I hung up with Genevieve last night. I put her in my favorites as my emergency contact, and programmed “Tú” from Juan Luis Guerra as the tone. I didn’t plan to miss a call from her, no matter the time she phoned. I even saved her phone number on a notepad as soon as I walked into my efficiency, and by Monday morning, I knew it by heart.

Now, it was the evening after a day of dispatching the few drivers we’d onboarded. After the Tropics contract ended, we had a couple of rough weeks where Julín and I wondered if we’d have to let the dudes go that we had just hired, but as my mother used to say, things have a way of working out. And thank God for it because my responsibilities were vast. Whenever the hostel had a bad month, the money I made from the transportation company helped filled in the gaps both for me and for Claudia’s family. The fonda usually had steady income, but it was enough for just a bit extra for groceries and the regular necessities. A few sleepless nights had pushed me to engage contacts that had remained unused for a few years. The efforts bore success.

Two days ago, Anita Johnson from the Tropics reached out and asked if we could become their preferred transportation company. Anita was as real as they got, and the offer made in a way that kept our pride intact was appreciated. Since then, we have had a steady request for airport transfers and day trips for their patrons. Enough for me to send money to Villa Bonita, which had seen no reservations since the excursion.

Brushing aside my daily concerns, I hopped in the shower, rinsing the day away. I pulled on my best basketball shorts and my favorite T-shirt, then sat on the small kitchen table and dialed Gen’s cell phone number by heart.

“Hi.”

Genevieve’s voice told me a lot about her day. I wished I was there to make her some dinner and make her smile.

“You sound exhausted,” I replied.

“You ain’t lyin’.” She chuckled.

“Should I not ask about your day, then?”

“Mmm, you can, but it was just another day, filled with deadlines and meetings and...” I could hear the clatter of dishes in the background and imagined her gliding effortlessly into the kitchen, making herself something to eat.

“Have dinner with me.”

“Uh...well, you’re a bit far.”

“I mean, let’s video call and have dinner together.”

There was a pregnant pause on the other side of the phone, and my pulse accelerated. Had I pushed too fast?

“Well...as long as you don’t criticize my dinner, I’m down.”

I punched the table in excitement and quickly pressed the video button before she changed her mind. Her face immediately appeared on the screen, the hood of her eyes dropping with the exhaustion I had heard earlier. She grinned, and her whole face illuminated; my breath caught at the sheer beauty of her.

“There you are, Preciosa.”

“Oh, here you go, flatterer. You know I look a mess.” She gestured at her hair in a messy bun on top of her head, then down to the simple white tee she had on.

“You always are beautiful to me. No matter what. So...what we eating?”

Cereal. Both of us were dining on cereal.

“And here I thought you were gonna criticize me.”

“Nah, I keep it simple on nights I’m tired, a sandwich, cereal, crackers and cheese, hey whatever works,” I told her, and she chuckled. While we both poured our bowls, she filled me in on her day, then I told her about Anita’s offer and how it had been a lifesaver.

“You know... I’ve been thinking, you could put some targeted ads for Villa Bonita on social media. Those apps have user-friendly platforms. I’ve searched everywhere online, and besides the website and your little IG account, you don’t have much out there.”

“I’m clueless with that stuff. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m good with technology, but I try my best to stay out of social media, so a lot of the new shit don’t even make sense to me.” Why be behind a phone posting and taking pictures when you could be enjoying instead? Chichi gave me a hard time telling me the new “town square” was online and that I was going to be left behind, but I guess I just couldn’t muster the energy to keep up with it all when there was so much to do around me.

“How have you managed to stay out of social media in this day and age?”

“Living life.” I shrugged.

“I sense judgment.” She rolled her eyes and kept munching on her Raisin Bran.

“Nah, I’m not judging. I know I stay out of the loop on a lot because I’m not on social media. I just worked a lot before, and now, I’m on the road or in Villa Bonita fixing things or helping in La Buenona, and I honestly don’t know how people find the time.”

I finished my Vitalisimo and waited for her response as she chewed pensively. Just watching her chew stimulated me. I really was down bad for Gen. I could imagine nights like this, the two of us unwinding after a day of work. The same sense of togetherness flowed through us just as it had done for my parents, and for Claudia and Mario. Speaking with her reminded me of my dad telling me of when he’d met Mom and in a day, he’d known they were meant to be married. I always thought he was full of it, but now...now I understood.

“I guess I make the time? I have a lot of people I’ve worked with in the past and some friends from college that are on social media, and it’s a nice way to keep up with them. I’m not on it a lot, but at least an hour a day.”

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