The clerk scrawled something on my receipt before stuffing it in its pretty envelope and handing it to me: her phone number. Call me. She made the shape of that with her mouth before guiding me to the door in that way that clerks do at snobby retail joints.

……….

Hello? You could tell she wasn’t used to talking on the phone.

Hi. This is K. From earlier today. You gave me your number.

I let her lead the conversation since this was her doing. She asked who the scarf was for. I told her. She asked how long we had been together. I told her that too. She asked if I loved her. I told her yes very much.

Then she told me about the flood. The poor are liquifying, she said. We don’t have much time.

She told me about the tallest building in the city. All the exclusive retailers are moving to the top floor so our most special clientele can continue shopping. The poor won’t rise that high. She was confident. We appreciate your business and look forward to your continued patronage. She hung up.

How thoughtful, I thought. But I don’t know how to swim.