CONTRIBUTED BY
ADDISON BENCH
(New York, NY)
Hi Shannon!
I’m really sorry I’ll be out of town when you get here. Argh! It kills me to miss you in my own city! We would have had so much fun!
Let me catch you up a little. Can’t remember what I’ve told you but let’s start with my job – still going gonzo for me. I’m pretty much barely at home during the weeks. I get up, shower, go to work, stay late. I get some food from drive-thru on way home or order pizza when I get here. Then get some sleep, do it all over! Busy!
But also? Any free time I usually spend with Manny. He’s my new one – have I told you? At first I was like, He’s not that bright. But I didn’t care because I just wanted to get over Tim. Maybe I didn’t tell you about Tim breaking up with me out of nowhere? I was super, super surprised. I thought he liked me more than I liked him. When he dumped me, I was kinda hurt. Like, damaged. I couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, went to work and cried in the restroom every day, sitting on the toilet. Then I’d come home, lay down, cry some more! Terrible.
I got super skinny, which is good, but it wasn’t really, I guess, because I kept getting sick. Maybe had bird flu or something? And then SARS? Because they both gave me awful night sweats. Then, when over that, I caught this stomach bug. Shan, it really laid. me. low. So low! I was out sick for a week and had a fever and – plug your ears: shame story! – I kind of pooped the bed a couple of times. I woke up from one of those dreams where you have to pooh, and found out I’d already done it in my sleep. Like, gross, watery, I’m-sick poop. Two different nights!
Finally healed up, then was all, Look, did you even love Tim anyway? He didn’t support you emotionally, so just get over it!
So I did! That little talk with myself changed everything. I got strong, started kicking asshole at work again. Felt good about myself! And that’s when I met Manny. He’s pretty great. I mean, I always thought I’d get serious with a banker, you know? I saw myself meeting one, then getting married and then I’d stop working and we’d have kids. It was a good dream. Well, Manny’s not a banker, but he is super cute and he’s nice to me – nicer than Tim was, for sure! Plus, the sex is A-W-E-to-the-some. Remember how, in college sophomore year, I dated that lacrosse player Brett? You hated him, Shan, remember? Member how I told you he always said he was “in the crease” when we had sex, whatever that meant, and called his penis his “Game Stick?”
Well, Manny and I have the good sex without all that dumb sports stuff. Something about him – I can’t explain it. Maybe because he’s half Puerto Rican and I know my dad would completely flip if he found out. But fuck that, right? Dads don’t know, and people are people and Manny’s super sweet.
This is kind of shamey, too, Shannon, but sometimes when we’re really going at it, I can hear all the fluids and stuff making squishing sounds down there. It turns me on, but also? I’m all, Can anyone else hear that?
In my building, they probably can! Because I hear my neighbors all the time! Fighting over money, or shouting at the TV or teaching their birds swear words. But I guess they don’t have sex, because I never hear it. If I did, I’d be like, Gross. Someone call 911.
The people in my building are nice, though. The other day I was going downstairs behind my neighbor – she takes sooo looong to get down the stairs with her two canes – and I was thinking, Ugh, she smells a lot like onions, or soup or something. But when we got to the bottom, she just turns and says, Go on by, Sweetie.
See? Nice!
One more thing – I’m thinking about getting a cat. It was actually Manny’s idea. I was cleaning up some pizza boxes and soda cans in my little kitchen the other day and this mouse leaped out of a paper bag and ran right across my arm. I completely screamed. Then I called Manny to tell him about it, and he was all, Maybe get a cat, babe.
He calls me babe sometimes. Anyway, so thinking about getting one. But not before you come here, so don’t worry, you won’t need to feed it! I mailed you a key, so just take a taxi to my address and let yourself in. I hate I’m missing you, bestie! Let’s make plans!
Margaret
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