"Be right over, Laura."

"Hello?" Laura's voice came over Gary's mobile phone.

Gary briefly paused, not knowing what to say.

"Um, hello," he said.

"Hi," she replied. There was a brief silence. She must have checked the incoming phone number. "Gary, hello!" she said. "Glad you're back in touch! It's been just so crazy. But the papers are done, the essay is in the mail, and my fingers have stopped bleeding. If I don't get that summer fellowship I'll just..."

Gary laughed. Laura was still going a mile a minute, even now.

"Okay, okay," she said. "So how's it going with you?" she asked. "You have time to see the new place?"

"Yeah, that sounds great," Gary said. "I might not be able to stay long."

"So come over already!" Laura said.

Gary felt funny inside, but in a good way. Kind of embarrassed but welcome and energized at the same time. It was something Laura's straight-ahead personality did to him. She went right after what she wanted, and expected other people to do the same.

"Um, okay," he said.

"I don't know what I see in you, Menard," Laura said. "Sometimes you're just so wishy-washy."

"No doubt!" he said.

She laughed. "Tease," she said. She gave him directions.

"Be right over," he said.

Click! Laura disconnected.