Page 29 of Goose

“I was just wondering.”

He glanced at the kitchen’s pass-thru window. “Could put it right between the window and the two-way door.”

“If you had one, I think I’d use it.”

He stood and reached for my plate. “Let me get you a fresh burger.”

Ten minutes later, I had a fresh burger and enough of an appetite to eat it. Soon thereafter, while I was reading a few chapters of Chris Voss’ guide on negotiating, Split the Difference, George returned.

“How was the burger?”

“Great, thank you.”

He tilted his head toward the kitchen. “Pen’s on the little tray underneath it.”

I peered over his shoulder. A two-foot by three-foot dry erase board was hanging on the wall beside the pass-thru window.

I leaped from my seat. “Can I write on it?”

“That’s what it’s for.” His brows knitted together. “No curse words or dirty pictures.”

It was like Christmas in January. I rushed to the board, picked up the pen, and scribbled my message on the board. After admiring my work, I turned around.

George was standing right behind me. “Looks like gibberish.”

“It’ll make sense to him. It better, anyway.”

“I sure hope so.” He chuckled. “Because it makes none to me.”

I glanced at the message. If it didn’t get results, maybe things just weren’t meant to be.