“I just said that I met her. I mean, you meet people all the time, right? I didn’t say it was a relationship. So I can back away and not do this dumb, fucking thing I want to…which is go forward with the Abby Plan.”
Because that was exactly what he wanted to do. It felt so good to be able to say ‘there was a girl’. Even if it was just Abby. Someone he wasn’t really interested in and who wasn’t interested in him. And he’d be doing her a favor too, right? It would get that witch of a mother off her back. And maybe it would give her some confidence…yeah, it would help her come out of herself, stand up for herself, because someone was there beside her. Well, not really there beside her because that was the whole point, that they never had to see each other.
Nick tried to force himself to think ahead to the difficulties and problems, but he couldn’t. Because he didn’t want to admit that there would be any. He decided to sleep on it.
By morning, he had created a golden-hued plan of him and Abby, happily emailing each other from opposite ends of the country, her sending encouraging words to help him diet and exercise, him drawing her out of herself to be a strong, independent girl with way more fashion sense and better hair. And he had also convinced himself that it would be okay with Abby, that it had really been her idea in the first place.
And the first thing he had to do, he realized, was find out more about her. All he knew now was her name and that she lived in Chicago. She was well off and had a nice car. She worked with deaf kids and something arty…the Symphony, maybe…he couldn’t remember that one. He opened the desk drawer and pulled out some stationery. He wrote ‘Abby’ across the top and started making notes, writing down all the things he knew about her…except that she had planned on killing herself. Then he wrote down some questions that he could ask her.
When they were done at the studio that day, he found a computer that was wired and logged on to his email. He saw that Abby hadn’t answered his first message. Hmmm…maybe this wouldn’t work, after all. Well, he’d try one more and see how it went. Maybe she just didn’t get to a computer very often. Come to think of it, neither did he. Maybe he should get one…one of those laptop thingies you can carry around with you. A wireless one so he could email from anywhere, yeah, that’d be cool. And he could put lots of other stuff on it too, games and shit. And business crap. Yeah, and he’d look really grown up walking around with it. He’d get one tomorrow. It was Saturday and they weren’t working. Cool. Maybe AJ or Howie would go with him, help him pick one out.
He typed out the message to Abby and hit Send.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Abby’s computer overwhelmed her. Her father had gone completely overboard and not only bought her the most-up-to-date and most powerful machine, he’d also bought all the peripherals.
“What would I need a scanner for?” she asked him as the technician carried in the latest box.
Her sitting room looked like a hurricane had blown through…a styrofoam and cardboard hurricane. There were empty boxes sitting everywhere with chunks of styrofoam hanging out of them. The pile of manuals and CDs in Abby’s hand got larger and larger as each item was opened. Computer yes, printer definitely, but a scanner? And now a docking station. Abby didn’t even know what a docking station was.
“It’s for the digital camera,” the technician told her.
Digital camera?
“I got you one of those too, Honey,” said her father. “It was all part of the deal. I thought I’d get it all at once and have Harvey here set it all up for you.” Harvey worked in IT at the main office of Fremont Corporation.
“Daddy, I…”
“And cable access. High speed. For sailing the net.”
“Surfing,” said Harvey under his breath.
John Fremont shrugged and looked at his daughter. Please forgive me, said his face.
“Thank you, Daddy, it’s all wonderful,” said Abby, thinking that she really didn’t have any room for anything else here and if she demurred further, Lord knows what her father would buy her next.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~It was all wonderful. After the boxes and debris and the father had been removed from the room, Harvey gave Abby a 30 minute lesson that told her everything she needed to know. She already knew how to use a computer – in this day and age, who didn’t? – but Harvey showed her the quirks and shortcuts of her own machine.
“Here’s my number, Miss Fremont. If you hit a snag, call me. Don’t go nuts trying to make it do something if it doesn’t want to. Just call me.”
“Thank you, Harvey,” said Abby.
Harvey left and Abby started to play with the computer. She set up her email account with her high-speed server. She sent the new address to everyone in her old address book…but not Nick. She would continue to check the hotmail account she’d been using. If he replied again, she’d give him the new address.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~He replied again.
Hey, Abby! Good to hear from ya. I went out today and got this way cool computer. It is so wack! Howie came with me. I swear, I could launch the space shuttle with this. And totally wireless. I don’t have to plug it in. I don’t have the first freaking idea how that works. LOL! That means 'laughing out loud'. How much of that stuff do you know?
Anyway, social work. Cool. Makes sense I guess, you being a rich girl. Giving back and all that. What’s your favorite color? Mine’s green. That’s confidential information, of course. You could only find that out at ten thousand sites on the internet. LOL!
Nick
Abby read it and re-read it. Then she got up and walked away from it. Then she read it again. Then she went to the Internet. Two hours later, she sent the reply.
Dear Nick. I’m sorry. I’ve looked everywhere and you don’t seem to be mentioned on the Internet at all. Are you sure you’re spelling your name right? LOL!
I am also writing from my new computer. Daddy insisted on buying it for me as an apology present. Of course, he didn’t call it that. I think I did launch the space shuttle. Stay tuned to your local news.
Blue.
Btw (that means ‘by the way’ by the way) here is my new hyperspeed ultra-sonic email address – abby.fremont@chicom.net. I’m pretty sure I won’t have to change mine as often as you do.
Abby
Nick read it and re-read it. He added ‘blue’ to his list. And then he got up and walked away from it. He was going out to dinner with the guys.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~“So tell us about this new girl,” said Kevin, in a lull in the conversation.
“There’s not much to tell,” said Nick, “…yet.” He picked up his water glass and took a drink, trying to think fast. “I mean, we just met last week.”
“So it was just a casual affair?” asked AJ. Brian sniffed in disapproval.
“No, we didn’t even…I mean…she…we…” Nick knew he was blushing. The others started to laugh. Backstreet’s back, thought Nick. We’re talking about sex and teasing Nicky.
“That’s a good thing,” said Brian. “Do you think this might turn into something?”
“Could be,” said Nick. “We’re emailing.”
“What’s she look like?” asked AJ.
“Why is that important?” retorted Nick. The others all looked at him.
“It’s not,” said AJ. “I was just wondering. You know…is she tall or short or…”
“She’s got class,” said Nick, which didn’t answer the question.
Wow! thought AJ. This must be one ugly girl. He looked over at Howie and grinned.
Nick caught the look. “What? There’s a problem with that? A girl with class? Do we all have to go out with big-busted empty-headed blondes?”
There was a silence while Brian and Kevin stared at Nick with raised eyebrows until he realized what their wives looked like. AJ sorted through the list of his recent shopping partners and could see that Nick had a point.
Finally, Howie spoke up. “We never said one of us wouldn’t get a girl with class, Nicky. We just never thought it would be you.”
Nick laughed. “Yeah, hard to believe, ain’t it?”
The others laughed and the moment passed. They changed the subject and didn’t speak of Abby again. But when AJ and Howie were driving back to the hotel, AJ mentioned it. “This must be one ugly girl that Nick’s found. He didn’t even say she had a good personality.”
Howie laughed. “Well, his last one was gorgeous, but I didn’t care all that much for her personality. Maybe he’s on the right track this time.”
“Yeah,” said AJ, with a sigh. “Let’s hope so. And if it does turn into something for him, maybe this girl will have a couple of classy friends for you and me.”
Howie laughed. “Maybe. But AJ, even if we never thought Nicky could get a girl with class…”
“Yeah?”
“…we were totally sure you couldn’t!!” Howie giggled at his joke.
“Shaddup!” retorted AJ, with a laugh. He opened his mouth to retaliate, but the car pulled up in front of the hotel and they dropped the conversation. As he was drifting off to sleep that night, a stray thought floated across his mind. He wondered what a girl with class looked like.
