DATE: July 21, 3:52am
SUBJECT: Re: You can call me Strick
Lily—
I’m guessing you’re asleep since you haven’t replied, and you usually reply fairly quickly. I’m leaving for Vietnam tomorrow for a few weeks and I’m not sure what the connection situation will be like where I’m staying, so if you don’t hear from me for a bit, that’s why.
I’m looking at the picture of Tomcat again （trying to understand what you see in cats）， and I just noticed a foot beside Tomcat in the photo. Is that your foot? If so, what kind of flower is that tattoo? I’m guessing it’s a lily?
——Strick
FROM: N.R. Strickland <[email protected]> TO: Lily G. <[email protected]>
DATE: July 21, 3:53am
SUBJECT: Re: You can call me Strick
Shit, now it probably seems like I have a weird foot fetish and that I’ve been staring at your foot for hours. I have NOT been doing that. It’s just that the tattoo caught my eye.
FROM: N.R. Strickland <[email protected]>
TO: Lily G. <[email protected]>
DATE: July 21, 3:54am
SUBJECT: Re: You can call me Strick
It’s not that I don’t think your foot isn’t worthy of a foot fetish. It’s a nice-looking foot.
FROM: N.R. Strickland <[email protected]>
TO: Lily G. <[email protected]>
DATE: July 21, 3:55am
SUBJECT: Re: You can call me Strick
I’m really buggering this up. I promise I’m not obsessed with your feet and I won’t mention anything about their appearance ever again.
It’s a good thing you’re asleep and I’ll be somewhere without service soon. Hopefully when we reconnect, you’ll have forgotten about these messages.
FROM: Lily G. <[email protected]> TO: N.R. Strickland <[email protected]>
DATE: July 22, 7:21am
SUBJECT: Re: You can call me Strick
Dear Strick,
These emails were hilarious to read, mostly because they were proof that you can be awkward sometimes too lol. You’re correct: the tattoo is a drawing of a lily flower. My sisters have flower tattoos to match their names too. We got them after I turned eighteen.
I realized we’ve been talking about my career a lot, but not yours. What will you be writing about in Vietnam? What do you usually write about while on assignment in general?
XO,
Lily
P.S.—Thanks for saying you think I sound impressive. That really means a lot.
FROM: N.R. Strickland <[email protected]>
TO: Lily G. <[email protected]>
DATE: September 12, 10:14pm
SUBJECT: I’m alive
Lily—
It’s been almost two months since I last wrote. You probably won’t believe this, but my backpack fell into the water while I was on a boat in the Mekong River. Both my laptop and phone were unsalvageable. Usually, I take notes in my journal by day and transcribe them on my laptop at night, but I had to write the entire piece by hand this time （which I actually enjoyed）。 So that is why you haven’t heard from me in so long. Sorry!
For work, I write a column called “A Day in the Life.” I spend weeks with a person native to the country where I’m on assignment, and I accompany them as they go about their daily duties. I also take time to explore the area on my own. As far as jobs go, it’s pretty decent. I meet a lot of people, and there is no monotony. My salary is shit, but the magazine covers travel and lodging, so I guess I can’t really complain.
While in Vietnam, I stayed in the city of C?n Th? and spent time with a family who worked at the Cai Rang Floating Market （where I stupidly dropped my bag）。 Other than damaging my ridiculously expensive electronics, it was a pretty great experience. I liked being completely disconnected. Maybe that’s why I took a stab at writing fiction again. It was terrible and reaffirmed that part of my life is indeed over.
I landed in Budapest this morning and finally bought a new phone. My next paycheck is going toward a laptop.
How was the rest of your summer? How is Tomcat?
——Strick
FROM: Lily G. <[email protected]>
TO: N.R. Strickland <[email protected]>
DATE: September 12, 10:57pm
SUBJECT: Re: I’m alive
Strick! I’m so happy to hear from you. I thought maybe you’d felt so embarrassed after commenting on my feet that our correspondence was over. I’m sorry that you dropped your laptop in a river, but I’m glad that’s the only reason you weren’t talking to me.
You have the best job. You can travel and be free and do what you need to do without anyone breathing over your shoulder or micromanaging you. That must be so nice.