Page 58 of The Now in Forever
I go inside, where Anh is lying on the couch reading. “Anh, do you want to go see a movie with us?”
“No,” she says without looking up from her book.
“Okay, we’ll be back later.” I slip on my sandals, grab my backpack, and kiss the top of her head.
She whispers to me, “Remember what I said. You only have one heart.”
CHAPTER 14
WEDNESDAY, JULY 3RD
The early afternoon is already sweltering. Despite the heat, Ed takes my hand in his. My heart soars at his touch. I feel free, like the first day of summer vacation when I was a kid and the days stretched out long with no responsibilities but to be back at Grandma’s by dinner.
I laugh.
He turns his playful eyes on me. “What is it?”
“I just realized I never even asked what we are going to see.” It’s so unlike me. Usually, I have everything planned. Even on my carefree summer days, Anh and Robin can attest, I was always making lists of things we should do. Goals for the summer.
“There’s a little theater on 21st playing some new movies and some second run. I thought we could get there and decide.” He has mischief in his face, like he has a secret.
“Okay.”
Downtown is a mix of old brick buildings, concrete ones from the seventies, and newer glass skyscrapers. After about twenty minutes, we walk through a luscious green park. A carved wood sign in a bed of flowers catches my eye. I read it aloud. “Couch Park.”
I pronounce it how it’s spelled like a couch that you sit on.
Ed laughs. “Don’t spend much time in Portland, huh?”
“This is my second visit.”
“I hate to break it to you, but it’s pronounced Cooch.”
“Cooch? No, it’s not. That’s ridiculous.”
Ed laughs and holds up his hand. “I didn’t name it, but that is how you say it. I swear.”
“You are trouble. If I get a job teaching here, some student is going to come to me for directions, and I’m going to tell them to take a left on Cooch and get fired. Ha, ha, very funny.”
Ed stops a woman walking a stroller. “Excuse me, miss. My girlfriend and I…”
My ears roar, and it’s hard for me to follow what else he’s saying. Hisgirlfriend? I’m sure he said it to put the other woman at ease. A shorthand to explain who I am. He couldn’t very well say this girl I slept with a decade ago and have now reunited with and am currently sleeping with.
They’re both looking at me. The woman smiles and says like she’s repeating herself, “It’s pronounced cooch. Unfortunate but true.”
I give a halfhearted smile. “Thanks.”
Ed’s face is pinched in concern. “Now you know.”
“Now I know.”
“Do you think you’ll end up moving here?”
I shrug. “I applied for a job in SE, but I haven’t heard back yet. Lots of people take time off in the summer, so I might still hear from them. We’ll see.”
Ed is nodding. “It’s a fun place to live.”
“I did get an interview today in New Haven.”
