“I just need to buy that car. That’s all.”

“What in the hell are you talking about, Geri?” Geri had a way of starting a conversation in her head out loud, confusing her BFF Beth. “You know I can’t keep up with you, right? You start out in the middle of a thought . . .”

“And then we decided to go get Taco Bell instead,” Geri answered, proving Beth was right.

“You did it AGAIN, Geri. Seriously. I can’t even keep with you.”

“Keep up with what exactly?” Geri slurped on the iced coffee long since finished. “Keep up with me? I’m flattered and all, but I’m not all that fast,” she laughed. “Besides, you know what I mean?”

Beth threw up her hands, passing a couple holding hands. Everyone was out walking around the park’s pond. Strangely enough, Beth noticed the absence of cicadas in the park. “Shhh!” she hissed. Beth saw the woman turn around, raising her eyebrow, stopping her boyfriend or husband. Neither would’ve surprised Beth. Probably a boyfriend, she thought. No married man would hold his wife’s hand that way. Beth felt jealousy run down her spine, causing shivers in the warm summer sunlight. She clenched her fists tightly, fuming at her best friend. “Geri? Are you even listening to me?”

“Huh?” Geri asked, looking at Beth with a puzzled expression. “What was that?”

“No cicadas,” Beth said, pointing up at the trees.

“Oh, yeah. There’s no cicadas in the park.”

“You heard me?” Beth exclaimed. “You weren’t ignoring me?”

“Why no, silly. Why would I ignore my best friend forever?”

“BECAUSE – YOU NINNY! You start sentences in the middle of a conversation in your own head. And WE’VE talked about this at length!”

“Oh, yeah. That.” Geri shrugged her shoulders. “Oops!”

“That’s all you have to say is, ‘Oops?’”

“What else is there?”

Beth huffed down the pathway, the couple looking back over their shoulders.

“Well, that was weird,” Eric said, squeezing her hand. “I love overhearing conversations out in public, especially in grocery stores or retail locations. It’s so fun to play with what the entirety of their conversation may be.”

Wendy looked at him, one eyebrow slightly raised. “You mean to tell me I could wind up in one of your stories?”

“Naw. Not exactly,” Eric said, kissing her hand lightly. “Take these two,” he said, walking past two girls deep in a conversation.

“I just need to buy that car. That’s all.” Eric looked at Wendy, widening his eyes as big as they could.

“You mean to tell me,” Wendy said, looking over her shoulder, eyebrow raised at the two girls, “that is going to be a part of your story? I know you’re a storyteller and all Eric, but that? You can make that into a story?”

“You’d be surprised what I can take and turn into a story,” Eric winked at Wendy. “Those two? That was a bizarre way to walk into that conversation, right?”

“I’m scared that I will end up as a footnote in your story.”

“Not a chance. I wouldn’t use all of our experiences, just bits and pieces. That’s what makes it fun!”

“Fun for who, exactly,” Wendy said, stopping long enough to kiss Eric lightly.

He winked at her, kissing her back on the cheek. “It’s not going to be like that.”

“Oh,” Wendy said, grabbing tightly onto Eric’s hand. “Can we go now? I’m really hot.”

“Sure can.”