Page 28 of Caught A Vibe

“Have you told Rishi yet?”

“This afternoon. He said he’s been thinking of visiting his sister in LA. Same thing. Plus his nephews are home from school but his sister is still working in the ER at the hospital and sleeping in their guest room so no one gets sick. She needs all hands on deck.”

What would it be like to have someone you’d move in a pandemic for?

As far as family goes, I only have my mother left and our relationship is…strained. Since Dad died last year, I’m no longer actively avoiding my childhood home, but I cannot move back home like Dan and Rishi can. Couch surfing with friends isn’t realistically an option right now, but neither is holding my roommates to a lease they don’t want. I’ll have to figure out something quick.

“Man, I’m sorry to drop this on you while you’re quarantining, but I figured you could use the time to search. I’m giving the landlord notice tomorrow.” Regret shines in Dan’s eyes.

“Yeah, okay.”

“It just doesn’t make sense to pay this crazy rent if I don’t have to be here for work.”

“No, I get it. It’s just a shitty time to try and find a new place.”

“Do you have someone you could stay with?”

“I’ll figure it out. Don’t worry about me. You’re right. It doesn’t make sense. You’ll send me your new address, right? Keep in touch?”

“Sure, man. Will do. Thanks for taking this so well.”

I nod and bring my food into my room. I’m not actually taking it very well, but I’ve always been good at masking. My face is calm, but my mind is spinning in a thousand different directions, trying to process this information. I grab my controller to give my fingers a fidget, even though it’s not turned on. Moving the buttons helps me sort through the tangle. Growing up, keeping any turmoil on the inside was the only way to survive. The skill continues to serve me well as an adult. Besides, it’s not like I have any control in this situation. I can’t make Dan and Rishi stay. We found each other through a Craigslist ad.

This apartment is just a place to lay my head. It has never been a home, just a room where I keep my stuff. Everything I own fits in two suitcases and ten boxes. I still have the boxes folded up in my closet. Getting this place was a compromise, so I could be in Silicon Valley chasing my dream. I’ll just have to figure out the next compromise. Or maybe the next dream.

If I’m going to be spending the near future wading through housing sites, I need sustenance. Penny and dinner. If I talk to her first, maybe she’ll help my brain calm down and find some solutions.

I slurp my noodles while I check for notifications from her.

Zero.

Odd. She usually calls by now.

I scroll my phone. Nope. No missed calls. No voice messages. No texts.

Well, I’m not some fuckboy who’s going to get bent out of shape because she doesn’t call. I’m a grown-ass man. I can text her just as easily as she can text me. I bolster myself with another loaded fork of spicy peanuty Thai goodness before I tap out a message.

Dash:

Hey, how was your day?

There. Not too needy, but polite and friendly. God, is this middle school? Why am I dissecting my tone and vocabulary choice? Three blinking dots save me from obsessing over modern textiquette.

Penny:

Ugh. Headache. Feel like shit

You got the ‘Rona?

Not funny. ??

Sorry, bad joke.

Do you need anything?

Just some sleep.

Ok. Sleep tight

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