Listen, Slowly

Mai stays up until midnight so she can call Montana when it is ten o’clock in California. She is nervous and jittery at the thought of calling her friend and catching up on what is happening, especially with her crush. Mai is so distracted she misses her mother’s phone call at ten o’clock. Mai thinks about how little she knows about her crush; she only met him once, and they barely exchanged any words. Wearing pajamas to protect all her exposed skin from mosquitos, Mai goes outside to make the call. Montana answers but immediately launches into everything that is going on with her. She mentions a friend named Hadley who might be interested in Mai’s crush. Despite saying she does not like Hadley, Montana is at the beach with her when she takes Mai’s call. The boy is there too, and Mai is filled with jealousy hearing their conversations in the background. When the boy is about to leave, Montana tells him Mai is calling from Vietnam and suggests he speak to Mai on the phone. She is so nervous she barely gets out a “hi.” He asks about the weather, and before they can say much more, the line disconnects.