Page 5 of Cocky Nerd
Olivia
Ilive in a vibrant, relatively quiet residential neighborhood of San Francisco called NoPa/Western Addition/North of the Panhandle, depending on who you’re talking to. The two bedroom that I rent with my roommate is ten blocks from my restaurant. I don’t own a car, because I can either walk around my neighborhood, take Muni to the theatre, or a Lyft. Also, I never got a driver’slicense.
Johnny gave me a twenty-dollar tip, waited for me until the end of my shift, and asked if he could walk me back to my place. He is clearly more comfortable in his body now than as a teenager, but I get the sense that he doesn’t walk around neighborhoods much. He had mentioned having a driver who’ll pick him up whenever he textshim.
“You live in Palo Alto,right?”
“I do, yes. Since I left MIT. I bought a house there. You’ll see it, it’s verynice.”
“That’s wonderful. Do you come into the citymuch?”
“Thiscity?”
“San Francisco, yes, the city we’re currentlyin.”
“I have meetings and events here occasionally, sure, but mostly just driving through. I travel alot.”
“Sounds likefun.”
“I wouldn’t call it fun, as it’s never been my life’s ambition to have fun, but it’s certainly not unpleasant. Do I smellurine?”
“I don’t know, it’s probably dog pee. This is not the kind of neighborhood that vagrants piss all over. Ithink.”
“And you’re happyhere?”
“Very. I mean, yes, most of thetime.”
“Do you missCleveland?”
“I mean. I miss my parents. I miss my house. I don’t know if I’d say that I miss Cleveland, exactly. Doyou?”
He stares ahead. “I suppose I’d call it nostalgia for that period when we were growing up, rather than missingCleveland.”
I nod. “I know what youmean.”
“Do you?” He looks at me, with an arched eyebrow. His eyebrows are spectacular, and impressive, his eyes sobeautiful.
“Yes, ofcourse.”
There’s a moment, when we’re walking down the sidewalk, when neither of us speaks, and I have a chance to feel two more things I haven’t felt with Johnny before—an appreciation of how tall he is, and nostalgia. Other than my parents and Nathan, who have come for one brief visit, I’ve never walked the streets of San Francisco with someone from back home before. I feel so comfortable for a second that I almost reach out to put my arm around him. But Idon’t.
I keep noticing people staring at him, and assume it’s because he’s Hot Guy, but then a grown man in a hoodie jacket, black jeans and high tops, approaches him. “John Brandt, wow, sorry, I just wanted to say ‘hey.’”
“Hey, how areyou.”
John stops to talk to the guy, so I wait a few feetaway.
“Good, I’m Tim, I just wanted to shake your hand dude, and say ‘thanks.’”
They shake hands. “Oh cool,great.”
“Yeah, thanks to you and Brainy Biz I’m got an awesome job and I just moved out of my Mom’s basement, so…Hey, I’ve got an idea for a startup, can I pitch it toyou?”
John pulls a business card out of his front pocket, he had it ready, and hands it to Tim. “I’d love to hear about it but I have to get my friend home, so you can email me, look forward toit.”
“Okay cool, thanks.” Tim doesn’t even look at me, he’s too excited to be holding John Brandt’s businesscard.
Johnny touches my elbow as he catches up with me. “Sorry aboutthat.”
