Page 36 of Say Yes to the Hot Mess

Then, remembering something else I wanted to ask, I add,

Me:And did maintenance come do something about your dryer?

Maya:Miracle of miracles, they did. Thank you. And wow, that’s soon. You’re cutting it close. I’ll need to find someone to watch Archer, but I think my Uncle Frank will be able to.

I breathe a sigh of relief at hearing she’s going to leave Archer behind. No way am I going to tell a mother where she can and can’t bring her baby, but I have to admit, the thought of my mother’s reaction is not appealing. It would likely go one of two ways: she would fawn all over the baby and start pushing me and Maya together even more, or she would be scandalized that Maya had a baby out of wedlock. Granted, I don’t actuallyknowthat Maya had Archer out of wedlock—I certainly haven’t asked—but divorces take a while, and Archer is something like two months old. It seems more likely to me that Maya and the father were never married.

My phone pings, and another text comes through.

Maya:Dress code?

Me:Formal, but not black tie.

Then, smiling slightly, I add,And no cabbage.

Maya:Har har. You’re just so funny.

Her sarcasm is practically tangible, and my smile widens. Something about the way she speaks reminds me of Hanan, and I realize that I never messaged her back after what I have since dubbed the Hot Tub Incident. So I open the Sunset Horizons app and look at my most recent message from Hanan, the one that only half went through before my phone died.

Hanan:Hey, so I actually just got on to see if you had any recommendations for local car repair places. You’re in St. Rosseberg, right? Anywhere you like or anywhere I should avoid?

“Huh,” I say, thinking before messaging her back.

Me:Nowhere I can think of, sorry.

Then, before I can question the impulse, I add something else.

Me:Do you think I’m too judgmental?

Maybe it’s a dumb question to ask someone I’ve never even met in person, but Hanan is one of the few people I trust to be honest with me. My mother would say yes and then turn the answer to her benefit. Jude would say no even if it weren’t the truth. Neither of those would be helpful. I still can’t get rid of the thought that I misjudged Maya, and I’m starting to wonder if that’s a habit of mine.

A minute later, my phone chimes Hanan’s answer.

Hanan:I mean, maybe? I’m not sure. We’ve never met, but you seem pretty rigid or by the book or whatever. So I could see you maybe jumping to judgment if things weren’t what you expected or what you thought they should be. Like I said, though, we’ve never met, so…

Hanan:But if you’re worried about it, just try to be less judgmental. Remember that everyone has their own story to tell, and you’re never seeing the full picture. Assume that people always have a reason for acting the way they act. That’s what I do, anyway.

She makes it sound so simple. And from what I can tell, for her it probablyissimple. She’s just that kind of woman. I sigh, shaking my head.

Me:You are a very good person.

I close the app before I can see her response, because my message was more vulnerable than the kind of thing I’m used to saying. I shove my phone in my desk drawer so I don’t get distracted by it and then get to work. I send out a couple emails to set up a meeting for tomorrow and then get started on the filing cabinets, which are in dire need of reorganization. I work until late morning, reminding myself periodically that Iwantedthis job, that Ilikethe work I’m doing, before jumping ship at exactly noon. I grab my lunch bag and head not to my desk but instead down the hall to the multipurpose room.

I’m not really big on lunchtime chatter—or any chatter, honestly—but I do want to talk to some more residents and see if anyone can tell me anything else about our little blue pill problem. I did manage to hand out a good amount of flyers before I left last time, and I put a few on the bulletin boards around the room, but nothing has come of it so far.

When I enter the room, I’m not surprised to see that there are quite a few people here. Whatdoessurprise me is that at least half of them are crowded around one table, some standing, some sitting, some coming and going—all focused on two figures: a beautiful young woman and a very fat baby.

I shake my head, fighting back my smile. Maya and Archer have these people completely enchanted, and frankly, it’s easy to see why. Maya’s head is tilted back as she smiles that incredible smile, and Archer is adorable dressed in little baby shorts and a onesie. He’s wearing mismatched socks, and the one on his left foot is dangling halfway off. His dark hair sticks up every which way, and his gummy smile exposes two dimples in his chubby cheeks.

The two of them look like something a man would want to come home to.

Archer gives a little giggle, and the crowd around him makes varied sounds of adoration. When I approach with my lunch bag, none of them even notice; I manage to slip past a group of three women who are all talking fondly about their grandchildren and maneuver my way to Maya’s side, where I seat myself in the one empty chair. It seems everyone else was trying to respect her personal space, but this is the only seat left, so I guess I’ll take it.

“Dex,” Maya says when she sees me, looking surprised. “Hi. What are you doing here?”

“I work here,” I say as I begin taking things out of my lunch bag.

When I look over, Maya is rolling her eyes. “Obviously. I meant what are you doinghere? In this room? In this chair?”

---