The Neighbor Favor(8)
DATE: July 21, 1:11am
SUBJECT: Re: You can call me Strick
Dear Strick (this is a very funny nickname, by the way),
Those baby elephants are SO CUTE. I’m jealous that you get paid to play with them. Some people truly have all the luck. And thanks for the tip on Sorrento. If I ever do get myself together to travel there, you’ll be the first person I tell.
It’s amazing that your agent wants to get Elves republished! I, of course, agree with him that there’s so much potential for your book to have a new life!
You asked for my thoughts on living in New York City: I don’t think I’d actually live here if I didn’t have to for my job. If I could live anywhere, it would probably be in the same neighborhood as my parents and Iris. It’s peaceful and friendly and there’s a ShopRite (a chain grocery store in North America; I don’t think they have those in England). New York City is loud and crowded and overwhelming. I have days where I feel like I’ll lose my mind if I don’t get some quiet. Commuting to and from work on the subway is a pain, especially when I’ve had a crappy day and then a group of kids gets on the train, performing elaborate dance routines. While walking alone at night I’m always worried that a pervert is going to snatch me up off the street. Everything is expensive for no reason. The cost of living is too high and unless you’re a finance or tech bro, you can barely afford to live here. I have a roommate who owns two enormous St. Bernards that get slobber everywhere, so Tomcat and I mostly stick to my bedroom because I’m too anxious to remind my roommate that the apartment is my space too, and it’s easier to hole up in my room than confront her about her dogs.
But New York has some of the best food, and New Yorkers band together during times of crisis in a wonderful way. I read somewhere that New Yorkers are not always nice, but they’re always kind, and that’s the best way I can describe it.
Sometimes if I leave the office early enough, I can catch the sunset while going over the Manhattan Bridge. That’s a plus.
Question: Does the traveling ever make you feel lonely?
Sincerely,
Lily
P.S. Attached is a photo of that Manhattan Bridge sunset I was talking about.
FROM: N.R. Strickland <[email protected]>
TO: Lily G. <[email protected]>
DATE: July 21, 1:41am
SUBJECT: Re: You can call me Strick
Lily—
Whenever I talk to people about living in New York City, they share a million reasons why they hate it, and then go on to describe how it’s one of the best cities. It’s funny that you basically had the same response. That picture of the sunset is striking. I guess after having a tough day, getting to see such beauty makes it all feel worth it.
To answer your question, I’m used to being alone, so it feels natural.
It’s pretty late right now in New York, isn’t it? Don’t tell me you’re an insomniac like me.
~Strick
P.S.—Who is Tomcat?
FROM: Lily G. <[email protected]> TO: N.R. Strickland <[email protected]>
DATE: July 21, 2:04am
SUBJECT: Re: You can call me Strick
Dear Strick,
I can’t believe I’ve gone this long without telling you about Tomcat! Tomcat is my cat. He used to live at the bookstore where I worked, but when the owner remarried, his new wife had a cat allergy, so I agreed to take Tomcat home with me. He’s the sweetest, largest, fluffiest, calico cat in the world (a picture is attached for proof).
I’m not an insomniac. I love sleep. Probably more than the average human. I’m awake right now because I had a bad date earlier tonight and I’m replaying it in my head because that’s what I do.
If you can believe it, I’m even worse on dates than I am during job interviews. I never know what to say, because everything about my life always sounds so uninteresting. It doesn’t help that I only go on dates with guys my sisters set me up with. If it’s a date with one of Violet’s friends, he’s either a model, aspiring actor/entertainer or works in fashion. He is chic and cool and intimidatingly attractive to the point where looking at him for too long feels overwhelming. He is also inevitably in love with Violet and has only agreed to go out with me to get into her good graces. (This happened all the time in high school, so I’m used to it.) If it’s a date with one of Iris’s friends, he’s someone she knows from business school. He will want to know my five-year plan and whether or not I’ve thought about setting up an LLC. He wears a suit, carries a smooth leather briefcase, and is at least fifteen minutes late because something important popped up at work right before he planned to leave the office. He expects me to be dynamic and driven and commanding like Iris and is disappointed when he finds out that I’m average.
Tonight’s date was with one of Violet’s guys, a model named Tony. He was very handsome and tall and charismatic, so I got overwhelmed looking at him and focused my attention on his collarbone while he spoke. He spent most of the night talking about himself and his recent modeling gigs. Then he mentioned Violet and kept talking about her, so I wasn’t afraid to finally ask if he had feelings for her. He tried to lie at first, but then he admitted that he’s in love with her and has been since they met. Violet is not the type to settle down. (I think that’s why guys like her so much. They think they’ll be the one to change her mind.) After telling Tony he’d have to give up on my sister, he started crying. (I should note that he’d had four Henny and Cokes at this point.) I comforted him as the entire restaurant stared. It was embarrassing, but I mostly felt bad for him.