Dreaming of His Pen Pal's Kiss - Jessie Gussman Page 0,17

me anyway.

I know you’re not going to see the connection between you and what I figured out, but I figured out I was selfish. I still am, because this isn’t the kind of thing that you get rid of overnight. But I see why I had a lot of girlfriends and never anything deep.

I’m not entirely sure what to do about it.

So I want to hear more about your boyfriend. Your one, single, lone boyfriend. How long did that last?

Waiting on answers,

Computer Geek

PS. Really says something when I was more interested in finding out about your boyfriend than I was in telling you about my app. It’s really consumed most of my waking hours. I have something else that I’m working on, that I have to work on, but after that, it’s been all computer app. I’ve got a team on it now. They’ll take care of all the details. I’ve got a really good feeling this is going to take off.

You know half the profits are yours. After all, there wouldn’t be an app if you hadn’t suggested it.

Chapter 7

Dear Computer Geek,

I guess I’m just the opposite. My boyfriend was my boyfriend for six years.

He was my high school sweetheart. We did everything together. I thought we were going to spend our lives together. I couldn’t picture myself with anyone else. I was pretty devastated when it didn’t work out. I’d invested everything I had into it. I’m never going to do that again.

My mom used to make something with spinach and cheese and cut them into squares. She made them for holidays, and I love them.

She made them just for me because no one else in our family liked them.

I would eat spinach in anything though. Filling balls. Spinach and vegetable soup. Turkey noodle soup is better with spinach in it too. Spinach on pizza. Spinach in hoagies, and I’m not kidding about that. In fact, spinach is the one thing I don’t joke about.

Do you like mushrooms?

I know they’re not a vegetable, but I think they’re good.

I know that’s kind of a black-or-white question. I don’t know people who kinda like mushrooms. You either love them or you hate them. Like nurses.

There’s a lot of things like that. Black and white. Love or hate.

But I think there’s even more things where there’s a gray area.

To me, that’s probably where you’re at in crediting me with showing you that maybe some of the fault in your relationship was you.

I don’t really believe it. We never talked about that. I never said anything.

But I’m glad you saw it. Not that I think you’re right. I don’t know.

But from experience, looking at myself, I know I’m definitely more selfish than I want to be. Embarrassingly selfish. I was just having a debate with myself about something that I know I need to do, and it’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just I know it’s a big sacrifice, and I think that if I do it, it could make it so that I don’t get what I want, although it would be giving other people what they wanted.

I know I’m being vague. I have to be. I don’t want to give any identifying details. And break the agreement.

Just know, being selfish is common. And I’m afflicted as well.

Also, our friendship does not require that you split your profits with me.

An idea is just an idea, nothing you can touch or hold in your hand, not until someone takes it and makes it into something. That’s what you did. You did the hard work. I just threw something out and wrote about it to you.

It was a nice thought though.

Keep my royalties. Maybe you can use them to pay for a whitewater rafting trip. Don’t think I’m going to forget about that.

So, you’ve asked some personal things, and in the spirit of our friendship, I’m curious about something.

How many girlfriends is too many to count?

I’m sorry if that’s too personal.

I’m waiting too,

The Healing Pen

DEAR HEALING PEN,

When I say too many to count, I mean it. I generally think that was part of my problem.

I’m not sure how to explain it. Maybe it’s like going to eat at a buffet. You look at all the really good dishes and maybe all the desserts, and you just can’t make up your mind. I always end up getting more than I can eat, because I want everything.

I guess maybe that was the way I was with girls. I looked at them and didn’t