“You don’t live in town, though. Right?”
“No. I live…” I point in some random direction. “Out that way.”
“And that guy you were with today? Who was he?”
“Oh. That’s Pell. He’s my… friend.”
“You don’t sound very sure of yourself.”
“Oh, I am. We’re friends. Best friends, actually.”
“Well, he might be your friend, but he’s definitely not friendly.”
“No.” Now it’s my turn to chuckle. “He’s not. He’s a grumpy monster. But he has a good heart and he loves Pie.”
“What kind of pie?”
“What? Oh, no. My other friend. She is called Pie.”
Madeline lets out a long breath and leans back into the booth, grinning at me like a salacious flirt. “You have two friends and they are called Pie and Pell. That’s amazing. Where have you been all my life, Tomas?”
“Oh. I’ve been in the same place. Just down that way a bit.” I point in that random direction again.
“Well, I’m very glad you came in to the feed store this morning. I like you.”
I grin, feeling very successful. It’s not that hard to be human, now is it? Pell could take lessons from me.
“I need to get your number before I forget,” she says. And then she pulls out a pocket phone like the one Pie carries around. “What is it?”
“What is what?”
“Your number.”
“What number?”
“Your phone number.”
“I don’t have one.”
“What?” She blinks at me. “What do you mean? You don’t have a phone?”
“No.”
“Um. OK. How come?”
“Well. I’ve never needed one.”
“But you live outside town, right?”
“Yes. About twenty miles.”
“And you don’t carry a phone. What if you break down?”
“Break down?”
“You know. That old truck you have can’t be that reliable. If you break down, then what? You can’t call anyone without a phone.”
“So… I need a phone?”