He was eyeing the wrapped package he’d meant to drop off for Guy. It was a Montblanc Meisterstück Solitaire Blue Hour LeGrand Rollerball pen, and it had set him back nearly $1,700.

“If I sell Guy’s present, I could buy a plane ticket.”

Ramona looked like the information of how much he’d spent on the gift caused her physical pain, but she just nodded.

“This,” she told him with a knowing grin, “is going to be perfect.”

***

Ramona gave Truman Greta’s phone number with the strict instruction to text, not call.

“She hates talking on the phone,” Ramona said.

“Well, yeah, I’m not a monster,” Truman said, shuddering at the thought of a phone call with a stranger.

“You’re actually gonna text her, though?”

“Here, look.”

Truman tapped in Greta’s number and wrote Hi, I’m Truman, Ramona’s friend. I hear we have a problem in common?

He held the phone up and pressed Send where Ramona could see.

“Okay, good,” she sighed, smiling with relief. “What would you two do without me?”

Truman, assuming that was a rhetorical question, took the opportunity to gather his errant gift and his pride and wave goodbye to Ramona.

Greta texted back as he turned the corner.

yeah, sounds like we do. are you…into this? i have a LOT of plants you’d have to take care of. A LOT.

No problem! I’m very responsible. Responsible to a fault, as Ramona would say.

of course ramona thinks responsibility is a fault lol, Greta replied, proving that they actually were friends.

I’d need you to take care of my dog. He needs to be walked three times a day. Would that be a problem?

nope, i love to walk and i love animals.

Truman felt his mood lift. Could they actually do this? Could he actually get away from the town where everything reminded him of Guy and of his own foolishness? And, in the back of his mind, the whisper: Agatha Tark, Agatha Tark, Agatha Tark.

Sooooo should we do this?

i think we should, came Greta’s immediate reply. i’ve gotta get out of town and away from my family or i’ll say shit i regret. well. more shit i regret.

Yeah, me too. Or, not the say things I regret part bc I actually didn’t say anything.

He cringed, remembering his quiet, unobtrusive slink away from Guy’s window.

what happened?

Turns out my boyfriend of a year has, like, a whole other life? A husband or partner and a kid. And I’m such a fool I didn’t even notice.

The words came easily to a stranger, and Truman found himself telling Greta what he couldn’t say to Ramona.

I was totally in love with him. But I guess I didn’t know him at all, really. What a chump, huh?