February 5
“Shoot,” I say.
“That promise I need from you, Fran, it’s so very simple. I need you to stay away from the Beanery for a couple of days.”
That tears it. You can come into my house, you can stalk me, you can ask me nonsensical questions about people who are just barely above strangers in the sorting order of acquaintances. But if you mess with my caffeine supply, I will make you suffer. End of story. “I don’t know,” I say.
“Today is Ash Wednesday,” he says, off-handedly. “I have to get to Mass later on myself, but I would encourage you to consider giving up coffee for Lent.”
“I’m Episcopalian,” I say. Lapsed. So very lapsed. “Why do you need me to stay away?”
“Well, I don’t need you do to that,” he says, “but it would be in your best interests to do so. It would basically put you securely on the near shore, in that swimming analogy we were using just a little while ago.” He leans forward, but his coat stays closed. What are you hiding? “You see, Fran, the weird things you’ve seen and heard today, they’ll all go away if you stop chasing them. You’ll be able to just sit back and live your life like any normal human being. You’ll be able to go to grad school, see the world… you could even prosper.”
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