Gottaluvapril Guide

His phone buzzed. A text from his sister: “First allergies of the season! My eyes feel like they’re full of sand. gottaluvapril”

Then he put the car in reverse, drove home, made mac and cheese, and ate the cantaloupe he’d nearly died for.

Leo gave a thumbs up so sarcastic it should have required a permit. gottaluvapril

Three dots appeared. Then: “Was anyone filming? Could be your big break.”

He’d left his jacket at home.

It wasn’t even ripe.

The story: a rogue shopping cart, a patch of black ice that had no business existing in April, and a physics-defying face-plant into a concrete wheel stop. He’d been trying to rescue a lady’s runaway cantaloupe. The cantaloupe, naturally, was fine. His phone buzzed

He typed back: “Just ate pavement in a grocery store parking lot. Shopping cart came out of nowhere. It had a death wish.”

The April sun was a liar. It poured honey-gold light over the cracked sidewalk, made the new daffodils nod their heads like sleepy children, promised warmth. Leo fell for it every single time. gottaluvapril” Then he put the car in reverse,