Page 48 of Not Another Yesterday
“I figured. I didn’t think my grandparents’ roaring New Year’s Eve party kept you up,” I chuckle. I shrug my shoulders up. It’s chilly out here without my jacket.
“Well actually, your grandma is out here bumpin’ that nineties R&B, so,” Miranda says, making me laugh out loud. I’m about 99.9percent sure my grandparents have been asleep for the past couple of hours. Ranch life isn’t conducive to staying up until the crack of dawn to ring in the New Year.
“Oh yeah, I can totally see that,” I say, trying to imagine exactly that. “So, what are you up to then?”
“Not much, honestly. Elias and I just got back from Sterling’s a little while ago. We would have stayed longer, but that guy can’t hold his liquor,” she laughs.
“Oh, I’m very aware. Did he try to take you home with him again?”
“You know it,” Miranda says mischievously. “But I told him I was tired. So he tried walking me to my cabin. It didn’t go so well. He threw up in the bushes,” she laughs. “He’s honestly so sweet, Rony. He has absolutely no idea what he’s doing; it’s kind of cute.”
“I bet ‘cute’ is exactly what he was going for,” I say, making Miranda laugh again.
“How about you? What are you up to? Sounds like you actually are at a party?”
“No, I’m working tonight. I’m just making sure the people inside get to have their party?”
“I’m sorry,” Miranda says earnestly.
“Don’t be. I still get to be with the people I care about and I make great bank tonight. It’s a win-win.”
“You sound tired, though.”
“It’s been a long day, but it’s fine. Any news about your truck?”
Miranda sighs loudly. “Nothing. I doubt I’ll ever see it again. It’s probably burned out or disassembled for parts or…”
“I’m sorry, Randi.” I know how much that truck meant to her.
Another loud exhale travels through the phone. “It’s alright. I’m going to save up to get myself another truck. In the meantime, I’m making good use of yours,” she cackles. “How’s your feline?”
The smile on my lips is immediate, as always. “She’s good. I think… I don’t know, I’ve been misstepping lately.”
It feels safer to say it like that—to admit to something vague, instead of the things I actually can’t face.
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. I think maybe I’m not communicating right with her, or—”
“Uh, duh,” Miranda huffs. “You’re definitely not communicating right with her, Rony. I mean, you haven’t been really talking to her about the stuff in your head, right? You’re not letting her in!”
“Right, yeah,” I say, even though that’s not what I was talking about. But she’s not wrong. That’s the part that stings.
The slam of the door crashes through the quiet, jarring me like a punch. For a second, I forget where I am. Shane steps out, all business.
My heart gallops in my chest. “Fuck, are you trying to give me a fucking heart attack?”
“Sorry, dude. I just need you back inside.” He disappears again.
“I gotta let you go, Randi.”
“Back to the grind?”
I chuckle. “Yeah. Happy New Year, Randi.”
“Happy New Year, Rony. Oh, and you know what a good resolution might be?”
I chuckle quietly. “What?”
