“I know,” I grunted.
For the last few weeks, her schedule had been wonderfully predictable and boring.
She spent Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday at home studying for the bar exam. At most, she’d take a break in the middle of the day for a caffeine pick-me-up at a nearby cafe. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, she worked for Masel Investigations, sitting safely behind a desk, answering phones and doing paperwork. After work, she’d pick up food for her and her roommate, then drive home.
What was different about today was that she’d decided to drive into this shitty neighborhood, knock on a random door, talk to a stranger, then sit in her car.
“She’s following me on PixUs,” Danzig said.
It took me a moment to figure out what that meant. “That social media thing you like so much?”
“You’d like it too, if you gave it a chance,” he countered. “But I already have the handle GreenScales1520 so you’ll have to pick something else. Anyway, I sent her a few pictures.”
“Please tell me you didn’t send dick pics,” I begged. I might not know much about dating, but I knew that was a big no-no.
Danzig snorted. “Of course not. I sent her some pictures from here in Peru.”
“That might be worse,” I said. “Your travel photos are always out of focus or look like you took the picture while hanging upside down.”
“Well she liked them,” he said with a huff. “We talked a little. When I asked her out on a date she said maybe.”
“Maybedoesn’t sound very good,” I said.
“Maybeis better than what we’ve gotten so far. You should download the app,” he insisted. “Her username is TheNewMe888.”
If Danzig had managed to get Bec to interact with him on PixUs, then I needed to try also. I downloaded the app and he listened to me bitch and complain as I went through setting up my account. It took me way too long to finally pick a user name, which Danzig insisted couldn’t be my actual name. I chose MotoSerpent1520.
“Good one,” Danzig complimented.
After that I answered a few questions and verified my email, but when it asked me to post, I almost stopped.
“You have to make at least one post to make your account active,” Danzig explained. “Come on Marduk, it’s the last step.”
I went through the photos on my phone, but almost all of them were of bridges, roads, or plans for bridges or roads. They weren’t even artistic images, they showed structure and functionality. Bec wouldn’t like any of them.
I finally came across one of a brilliant purple and yellow caterpillar I’d found while working on location a few years ago. The exposure was good, the caterpillar was in focus, and the lush dark green foliage around it made the colorful creature seem even more bright.
I posted that one with a minimal caption. “Done, now how do I find Bec?”
“I’m tagging her in your post,” Danzig said and a comment appeared under my post.
GreenScales1520
I might take a lot of good pictures, @TheNewMe888, but Marduk takes one really good one.
Bec’s response was startlingly quick.
TheNewMe888
Omg, that’s beautiful! You take amazing photos.
MotoSerpent1520
Thank you.
I wasn’t sure what to say next, but this small interaction made a massive grin unfurl across my face, hidden from any passerby by my full-face helmet.
“Show me how to follow, or whatever,” I demanded.
