Page 77 - EAMMV3

NICHOLAS BOOTHMAN
Chapter 6:
But, I Don’t Talk to Strangers
Late one snowy January afternoon in 2019, Eric
Hogan looked up from the hunk of Krispy Kreme
doughnut he was about to dunk into his coffee. Four
noisy teenagers were squeezing themselves into the
booth directly in front of him. Doughnuts in one hand,
drinks and phones the other, knapsacks dangling from
shoulders and elbows, they nudged and scrunched
themselves in to the booth. Energetic. Absorbed.
Radiant. Winter jackets off.
“Perfect,” Eric muttered through a mouthful of
dissolving dough. “Just what I need.” He scrubbed the
remnants of the Krispy Kreme doughnut off his mouth
and fingers with a paper napkin and waited for them
to get comfortable. Then, he adjusted his attitude to
“curious,” stood up and counted to three.
“Hi,” he said from about four feet away, taking care
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