Crack the Spine - Issue 195

“That’s me. Such a stereotype.”

“Indeed,” she responds.

Their conversation is banal and Ramona knows that the transcript of it would be tedious and free of literary nuance. But in person there is something more to it, something breathing and sparkling. Something that makes every phrase sound musical and timeless. It’s as if they’ve been transported inside a snow globe, and the quiet air around them is luminous with floating glitter.

It feels like the old times, but more poignant, because it has been so long since it felt like this.

“Where’s Jess?” she asks Christopher quickly, before any bittersweet sentiments can overwhelm her.

“She had to work late. She really wanted to come.”

“That’s too bad.”

“Yeah, she says happy birthday.”

“Tell her thank you.”

An idle thought passes through Ramona’s mind: this is the first time she has seen Christopher without Jess in three years.

“How is the wedding planning going?” she asks him.

“It’s coming along,” he says, but doesn’t elaborate. Ramona is grateful. His relationship is old news by now and causes only the smallest of minor irritations, but Ramona still doesn’t relish being inundated with the details.

Christopher looks at her martini glass, which has somehow become empty since she’s been talking to him.

“Can I get you another drink?” he asks.

“Sure,” she says.