Paper Names by Susie Luo

Author:Susie Luo
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hanover Square Press
Published: 2023-02-21T20:30:29+00:00

* * *

Tony strode through the revolving doors of The Rosewood. It had been almost a decade since he had worked at the building, and other than the artwork in the lobby having changed from pastoral landscapes to colorful geometrics, everything was the same. He could still see the flickering lights coming from the black-and-white video feed behind the desk. The soft matte cover of the incident report log next to the SABRE pepper spray. And he was still greeted by Magic, in the same silly doorman uniform, complete with white gloves and the brimmed hat that used to dig into his scalp.

In fact, the only real change in the place that Tony noticed over the years was in Magic himself. The Polish man had gradually and happily piled on the pounds—as though his life had become a perpetual feast celebrating his eldest daughter’s pregnancy and his younger daughter’s wedding. Tony’s body had, by contrast, adapted to his new responsibilities—raking, mowing, shoveling, planting, mulching—leaving him with not much more than a bundle of aching muscles.

The two of them had both improved their English—Tony picked up on how Magic didn’t stumble when switching from past to present tense anymore—but Magic’s accent had smoothed over much more than Tony’s had. That was to be expected. Magic’s job was blue-collar, but it was more social. Even though Tony led meetings now, he still spent most of his days sitting in front of a computer in a box with gray walls. With his white skin and blond hair, Magic could pass as an American in a way that Tony never could, even though he had a master’s degree and earned six figures.

Magic was in the midst of sorting the mail. Tony noticed that Clara’s slot was completely full and took the opportunity to casually inquire, “Someone’s popular. How’s Clara these days?”

The woman lived a childless, husbandless life—not only unconventional to Tony, but shameful, almost a waste. Yet he sometimes found himself daydreaming about what she was doing. He imagined her at a rare wines auction at Christie’s, bidding paddle in hand, teacup dog in purse. Jetting off to Paris and Milan when the shops at SoHo grew too dull. Her life only belonged to her, and she could do with it whatever she wanted. He had long convinced himself that he didn’t need those things, not even the luxury travel—his trips back to Dalian every other year to see his family were enough—but on the occasional Monday morning, as he stirred an instant coffee in his cubicle, he thought of Clara and envied her freedom.

“Didn’t you know? She’s been in Kathmandu for months,” said Magic. “Decided last year she was done with the extravagant stuff. There was the silent retreat in Thailand. Then living in a fishing village on Vanuatu.”

“She’s going on vacations to be poor?” asked Tony. The words sounded wrong coming out of his mouth.

Magic rolled his eyes. “I told her she’s welcome to switch lives with me. I’ll take the penthouse. She can have Greenpoint.

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