Story 23 | Meal Train Mix-Up

An innocent Meal Train delivery goes awry, revealing a conspiracy among friends and family.

I’m *so* thrilled you all enjoyed last week’s debut of From The Library Of, featuring so many compelling book recs from author Annabel Monaghan! It was seriously such an honor to have her kick off this new monthly column column. I loved that she offered awesome recommendations but her writing was so entertaining that it made me even more excited for her new release, "It’s A Love Story", coming out May 27. Let me know if you have any authors you’d want to participate and learn what they’re reading!

Today’s story is impacted by the limitations of Substack’s formatting. To help you out, let me explain what you’re walking into. This story is unfolds via texts, but I can’t include text bubbles or time stamps for additional context. It should read smoothly, except for the parts that are purposefully written with typos, as you might receive in a text.

Enjoy!

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Meal Train Mix-Up

OLIVIA🪩 / JESSIE, why aren’t you picking up

JESSIE / Olivia, why are you blowing up my phone? I’m at the doctor’s office, they’re about to take me back.

OLIVIA🪩 / Why aren’t you home

JESSIE / I’m at a doctor’s appointment!

OLIVIA🪩 / I thought you would be home, you said, let yourself in. Do you know what just happened? Obviously not because you won’t pick up! I went to your house, with my special meal train deliciousness for you, including a salad and ice cream because I’m the best

I’m a lot of the lights were out so I thought she must be sleeping and I thought I know I’ll be a good friend and just go say hi to her and so I opened your bedroom door and there you were in your bed asleep with your like reddish brown, beautiful hair, poking out the top of the blankets, and I jumped on you

JESSIE / OMG I’m not home. Also, why would you jump on me? I just had surgery.

OLIVIA🪩 / I don’t know I didn’t think it through and obviously you’re not home. You’re at the doctors office, but I didn’t know that.

I’m voice dictating these texts while driving away from your house in an embarrassed fury, so just know there would be a lot more all caps?! But I don’t have time to text aggressive punctuation to you and I don’t know how to do WHILE voice dictating.

Anyways it wasn’t you in your bed!! But the person had the same color hair is used, so I knew it wasn’t your husband because that would be weird if I jumped on him, but no instead I jumped on a man that I do not know who is in your bed. Why is there a man in your bed!???

I had time for those? OMG voice voice dictating all caps worked. Not that time TRYING again. Lol whatever

So who would be in your bed at the same color here your brother. Your brother.

So I come in the room I make this really cute flying jump onto your bed landing on all fours., Kind of on top of you, but I made sure not to hit you except you were bigger than expected because it turned out it wasn’t you!

This is ridiculous that I have to text you this

And it was a man a shirtless man which really freaked me out because I know you would never cheat on Matt. We both know you married up, and you’re a dime.

He’s yelling at me. I’m hitting him. I’m like who are you? What are you doing here and he’s like who are you? What are you doing here and I’m like I am friends with Jessie and he’s like I’m Jesse‘s brother and I’m like why are you in her room and he’s like I’m in the guest room and I’m like no you’re not. Are you a robber she only has one brother It was a real mess

Then he reached to pull the covers off, but I didn’t know if he was completely naked and I fell off. The bed scurried out of the room. Ran out of the house to call you. Because all caps why do you have a brother that I all caps don’t all caps know all caps about???

Hello??? Why aren’t you responding?!?

?????question

JESSIE / The nurse came in! I had to answer questions. I can’t just explain, oh my friend is having a total freak-out while she broke into my house and accosted my brother who I didn’t even know was coming into town. I’m sure I’ve told you about him.

OLIVIA🪩 / Don’t gaslight me!!

JESSIE / I’m sorry for the scare. Obviously, I didn’t know he was in my bed, much less my house, much less in town. I’m glad you’re ok.

—

MASON🌪️⚡🌊 / Hey Sis, so who is that wildcat of a woman who just jumped on me in your guest room? And like how is that any way to greet someone? What kind of house are you running here?

JESSIE / Hey idiot, why are you in my house right now and terrorizing my friends? I thought you were in Miami or Panama or some island somewhere.

MASON🌪️⚡🌊 / Nah, if my baby sis is sick, I gotta come check on you. Your house was dark. I just stumbled into a bed. I was flying in from Egypt.

JESSIE / Good Lord, Mason. How do you always do this?

MASON🌪️⚡🌊 / Aside from waking up from a dead sleep, and the screaming, and the flailing slaps, your friend seemed kinda hot. Why haven’t you mentioned her before? Any chance you could pass on her number? You know, so I can apologize.

Yo, you there>

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JESSIE / Matt, CODE RED. It finally happened. I’ve been working so hard to avoid this day.

MATT🫦 / Babe, are you OK? Why aren’t you picking up? Did you get bad news at the doctor? I thought this appointment was unrelated to your surgery. Call me!

JESSIE / OLIVIA AND MASON MET.

MATT🫦 / You can’t seriously still be stuck on this.

JESSIE / It’s like it’s fated. I’ve literally never mentioned them to each other because I know it will combust in flames or matrimony, and I’m not prepared for either and yet SOMEHOW they’ve already ended up in bed together. Olivia’s a little crazy, but I love her. And he’s a lot of crazy, but that irresponsible jerk is my brother. They both deserve better.

MATT🫦 / In bed? They already slept together?

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MASON🌪️⚡🌊 / Never mind Sis, I think she said her name was Liv or Olivia, and I just found your emergency call sheet on the fridge. And guess what? Her number is on it. That’s me, just lightening your mental load with my self-sufficiency.

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MASON🌪️⚡🌊 / I think we both deserve a do over.

OLIVIA🪩 / who is this?

MASON🌪️⚡🌊 / You know exactly who this is.

OLIVIA🪩 / can’t say that I do because I didn’t know if your existence until now

MASON🌪️⚡🌊 / You made the emergency call list, but my sister never mentioned me to you? What’s that tell you?

OLIVIA🪩 / That we should wait until she’s feeling better before we make this thing between me and you happen and drive her absolutely batshit

MASON🌪️⚡🌊 / Smart. I knew you’d be amazing.

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