You've Been Volunteered by Laurie Gelman

Author:Laurie Gelman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

* * *

“What are you working on?” Ron asks. We are hanging out in bed waiting for the local news to come on. Well, not really the news—the lottery numbers they announce just before the news. Lately we have taken to trying our luck because hey, you never know.

“I’m organizing the bake sale from hell.” I attack the keyboard like someone with a vendetta.

“Why is it from hell?”

“Because I have to organize it.”

“Why would you volunteer to do that?”

“I didn’t. I was volun-told.” I continue typing.

“Are you doing the brownies?” He’s talking about my trademark sticky, chewy, five-napkin brownies, of course. I haven’t made them since the picture day fiasco in Max’s kindergarten year.

“I would, but Asami still holds a bit of a grudge and I hate to poke the bear.”

Ron yawns and puts his computer on his bedside table. “How is Asami?”

“I’ll tell you tomorrow. I’m having coffee with her before pickup.”

“Not at Starbucks, I hope.” He’s fluffing his pillows and burrowing in, which tells me I’ll be watching for the lottery numbers on my own.

“No, Sergeant Money Police, we’re meeting at Dunkin Donuts.”

He nods, satisfied. “Don’t forget your coupon.”

I stick my tongue out at him. I don’t mind telling you, this belt-tightening really sucks. Christmas was pretty thin. Ron and I opted not to exchange gifts, although he did wrap up a desk calendar for me called “Words You Should Know to Sound Smart,” in the hope I’ll find other ways, besides profanity, to express myself. Let me just say it was an excrementous gift. Our presents to others were relatively lame, except for Max’s of course. I hated it. We are usually very generous, but this year we basically gave the equivalent of a book of coupons for hugs.

We didn’t even go out on New Year’s Eve, and we ate at home almost every night except for the time we were invited to my mom and dad’s. And of course Laura was still away, so when I say it was low-key, I mean we were in the dead zone.

The only significant news from the holidays was that Vivs and Raj broke up again. She assures me it’s final this time. She spent a week in Brooklyn and came back to KC with all her belongings. When I asked if she was okay, she blankly asked me why she wouldn’t be.

“Why are you guys meeting?” Ron disrupts my mental grousing.

“I’ve been feeling out of the loop lately and I’m hoping she can fill me in.”

“And what makes you think Asami is in the loop?”

“She just is. She knows everything that’s going on.”

He shakes his head into the pillow.

“It’s an illusion.”

“What is?”

“The loop. There is no loop.”

“What are you talking about?”

“In my experience, the loop doesn’t exist. People are just living their lives, and no one person really knows everything that is going on.”

Since this has never occurred to me, I take a moment to weigh its validity. I decide he isn’t in the loop either.

“Lotto numbers!” Ron mumbles from his horizontal position.

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