Page 235 of Mountain Grump

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The sky is a bright, vivid blue.

And I… have no idea what to do with myself.

Quackers hops into the water.

“What do you think?” I ask the duck. “Should I get a pet?”

She lets out a mild quack.

“Yeah, but you aren’t a pet. You’re a… neighbor.”

She paddles away, giving me her back.

I tap my shoes against the ground.

I really am allergic to cats. And dogs seem fun, but I’ve never had one.

Quackers turns back around, and I toss a pea into the water.

She dives after it.

I toss some more as I think about my options.

But that’s the problem. There are too many options.

I have money now. And not just likeenough savings to cover me for a few months. LikeI have every option available to memoney.

I could work part-time and earn just enough to help with expenses while giving myself something to do.

I could work full-time and make enough that I don’t use any of the money from Uncle Jack.

I could use the money to pay for a college degree. No loans needed.

But… I don’t have the first idea of what I’d go to school for. And, if I’m being honest with myself, I don’t want to go to school. I didn’t really like it the first time around, and doing it by choice seems like the worst choice of them all.

I toss another pea into the water.

“You don’t know how good you have it.”

Quackers chomps the pea.

“Okay…” I toss another pea. “What do I like to do?”

In general, I’m easy to entertain. But the things I enjoy…

Ethan.

My mind just keeps going back to Ethan.

I enjoy life when we’re together.

All of it.

The conversations and the expressions he makes. The sex.

I snort.

Sex with Ethan is not a viable profession.

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