good as she got.
“No, but your number came up on the caller ID a zillion times. Were you drunk-dialing me?”
She was back to her old self, but I decided to be more careful about making pregnancy jokes.
“Where were you guys?”
“Well, it was so nice out and Raj has been so busy that we decided to take a drive. We went to the Delaware Water Gap, did some hiking.”
“Tossed his salad?”
Jamie laughed, but across the room Kelly raised her eyebrows. Then she got up and went into the bathroom.
“Something like that. How’s the roommate? A slut? Did she and Armando keep you up all night with their squeals of delight?”
“Like you and Raj last night? Actually, the situation is better than I thought.” I kept my voice low in case Kelly could hear me.
“Wow! Are you making a new friend, Voula?”
I giggled.
“Are you gonna get like best-friend charms or something?”
“No, shirts.” Jamie was one to talk. There was a time when the two of us had both.
“Wow. Do you feel like going to Togi tonight for some chow?”
“Sure,” I said. We arranged to meet at eight.
Kelly came out of the bathroom as I hung up.
“It was my friend Jamie.”
“Sounds like she can take a joke.”
“Yeah, we’ve been friends for a long time. Forever.”
“How cool,” Kelly said.
I felt like kind of a dork. I wondered what Jamie would thinkof Kelly. It was rare that I felt almost comfortable with someone so quickly. I rarely was in situations where I had to be with people. Maybe it was a snow job. If anyone could spot a faker it was Jamie.
“We were going to meet for sushi tonight in Chelsea proper. We have these places we go to that are almost equidistant from our apartments.” Now I was really starting to feel like a loser. “Do you feel like going?”
“I would love to, but I can’t. I don’t eat sushi. I had an allergic reaction once.”
“Actually, this place has Korean food too. It’s cooked.” Was I beginning to sound desperate?
“No, sorry.” She laughed. “That was two separate statements. I would love to go, but I can’t because I have other plans. I’m continuing my very unhealthy relationship with the sound guy, despite all signs that I should know better. Then I was just letting you know that I didn’t eat sushi.”
“Oh, okay.”
“But another time.”
“Sure.” I guess it would have been pretty strange to hang out two nights in a row with someone I barely knew.
I got to Togi first and ordered a green tea. Togi has the best spicy crunchy tuna roll I have ever tasted. The place had the misfortune of having opened with another name on September 10, 2001. It lasted three months, shut down and reopened as Togi. They added Korean food to the menu. It was never crowded.
In a way I was glad that it hadn’t been discovered. But every time I went in there, I worried it would be the last. I feared that Togi would close down and I would never be able to eat such good spicy crunchy tuna again.
“Hey,” Jamie said. “Sorry.”
I stood up to kiss her. I wasn’t sure why she was apologizing. She wasn’t late. We didn’t bother with the menu. When the waitress came back I got an eel roll, a spicy crunchy tuna roll and a couple of pieces of sushi. Jamie ordered bi bim bop, a Korean specialty.
“No spicy, crunchy?”
She shook her head. “No, just in case.”
“Just in case, what?” I asked, and then remembered. “Oh, right. Was last night the night?”
“Well, I was ovulating again. We’ll see how it goes. I hope it takes, because my next ovulation should be right before Memorial Day.”
“Oh, just in time.” Every year on Memorial Day the Jacobs family went to their parents’ summer house in Block Island. They brought all kinds of boyfriends and girlfriends, but I was a staple.
“Yeah, it could be a real family affair.”
“Well, at least you’ll be able to drink some Dark and Stormies if it hasn’t taken.”
Then Jamie gave me that laugh, this time it was
“No, but your number came up on the caller ID a zillion times. Were you drunk-dialing me?”
She was back to her old self, but I decided to be more careful about making pregnancy jokes.
“Where were you guys?”
“Well, it was so nice out and Raj has been so busy that we decided to take a drive. We went to the Delaware Water Gap, did some hiking.”
“Tossed his salad?”
Jamie laughed, but across the room Kelly raised her eyebrows. Then she got up and went into the bathroom.
“Something like that. How’s the roommate? A slut? Did she and Armando keep you up all night with their squeals of delight?”
“Like you and Raj last night? Actually, the situation is better than I thought.” I kept my voice low in case Kelly could hear me.
“Wow! Are you making a new friend, Voula?”
I giggled.
“Are you gonna get like best-friend charms or something?”
“No, shirts.” Jamie was one to talk. There was a time when the two of us had both.
“Wow. Do you feel like going to Togi tonight for some chow?”
“Sure,” I said. We arranged to meet at eight.
Kelly came out of the bathroom as I hung up.
“It was my friend Jamie.”
“Sounds like she can take a joke.”
“Yeah, we’ve been friends for a long time. Forever.”
“How cool,” Kelly said.
I felt like kind of a dork. I wondered what Jamie would thinkof Kelly. It was rare that I felt almost comfortable with someone so quickly. I rarely was in situations where I had to be with people. Maybe it was a snow job. If anyone could spot a faker it was Jamie.
“We were going to meet for sushi tonight in Chelsea proper. We have these places we go to that are almost equidistant from our apartments.” Now I was really starting to feel like a loser. “Do you feel like going?”
“I would love to, but I can’t. I don’t eat sushi. I had an allergic reaction once.”
“Actually, this place has Korean food too. It’s cooked.” Was I beginning to sound desperate?
“No, sorry.” She laughed. “That was two separate statements. I would love to go, but I can’t because I have other plans. I’m continuing my very unhealthy relationship with the sound guy, despite all signs that I should know better. Then I was just letting you know that I didn’t eat sushi.”
“Oh, okay.”
“But another time.”
“Sure.” I guess it would have been pretty strange to hang out two nights in a row with someone I barely knew.
I got to Togi first and ordered a green tea. Togi has the best spicy crunchy tuna roll I have ever tasted. The place had the misfortune of having opened with another name on September 10, 2001. It lasted three months, shut down and reopened as Togi. They added Korean food to the menu. It was never crowded.
In a way I was glad that it hadn’t been discovered. But every time I went in there, I worried it would be the last. I feared that Togi would close down and I would never be able to eat such good spicy crunchy tuna again.
“Hey,” Jamie said. “Sorry.”
I stood up to kiss her. I wasn’t sure why she was apologizing. She wasn’t late. We didn’t bother with the menu. When the waitress came back I got an eel roll, a spicy crunchy tuna roll and a couple of pieces of sushi. Jamie ordered bi bim bop, a Korean specialty.
“No spicy, crunchy?”
She shook her head. “No, just in case.”
“Just in case, what?” I asked, and then remembered. “Oh, right. Was last night the night?”
“Well, I was ovulating again. We’ll see how it goes. I hope it takes, because my next ovulation should be right before Memorial Day.”
“Oh, just in time.” Every year on Memorial Day the Jacobs family went to their parents’ summer house in Block Island. They brought all kinds of boyfriends and girlfriends, but I was a staple.
“Yeah, it could be a real family affair.”
“Well, at least you’ll be able to drink some Dark and Stormies if it hasn’t taken.”
Then Jamie gave me that laugh, this time it was
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