I chuckle. “Is that what you really want?”
“Probably not. I’m just avoiding all that for now.”
I smile. “Take it from someone who avoided something for a long time: it’s not worth it.”
“Maybe,” he says. “My life certainly has gotten more interesting lately.”
“Since a certain overly competitive woman came back into your life?”
“Since then,” he says.
“Aren’t you lucky to have me?”
“You’re not wrong about that.”
LATER THAT NIGHT, AFTER WORKING a shift in the ER, I send a text to Morgan as I’m lying on the pink couch in my condo, decompressing from the day.
Lucy: Challenge for today done
I add a check mark emoji for emphasis. Morgan texts back right away.
Morgan: And?
Graham: Lucy won
Morgan: Wait, I get to decide that
Lucy: I swam
Morgan: SHUT UP
Morgan: Wait, what did you do, Graham?
Lucy: Seriously? You still want to know what he did? Don’t I automatically win?
Morgan: I need to know to be a fair judge
Lucy: Fine. Graham ... admitted things
Morgan: ??
Lucy: Personal things. Don’t make me regret making this group text
Graham: Mine was dumb. Seriously, Lucy wins
Morgan: I was just being nosy. Lucy wins! I’m so proud of you
Lucy: So, since I won yesterday’s and today’s does that put me ahead?
Yesterday’s challenge was to learn three lines in a different language. I learned how to say, “Morgan is my best friend and the most beautiful woman in the world, and I love her like a sister,” in French. I sent a voice recording and she Google Translated it, and I won. It was a suck-up move on my part and absolutely worth it. But also, Graham had done basic Spanish, the kind you’d learn on your first day of Spanish 101. “Hello, how are you? My name is Graham. Where is the library?”
Morgan: I’ll have to tally it up and get back to you
I pull up Graham’s name and quickly send him a text.
Lucy: Your challenge today was NOT dumb
Graham: Thanks for listening