The Telephone Booth

Looking up at the clock hanging on the opposite side of the wall, it says 9:30 pm. All I can hear is beep, drip, beep, drip, beep, drip, beep, drip, beep, over and over again. I look to my right and I can see the street lights outside the window and the glow of the moon and stars hitting the sidewalk. When I look to my left all I see are the monitors that keep making all that racket. Nurses that keep walking in and out all through the night. How anyone sleeps in here I will never understand.

I remember it as if it were yesterday. I was standing outside of the Port Charles Seafood Restaurant downtown waiting for the traffic to slow down so that I could walk across the street to the waterfront walk. I was about to take a nice afternoon stroll along the water when the telephone booth beside me starts ringing. I looked around to see if there was anyone else near by that could be waiting for someone to call. I didn’t see anyone. My gut is telling me not to answer it, but with each ring I can’t resist. Finally I picked up the phone and ended up having the most amazing night of my life. It was that telephone booth phone call that would be the starting point for the next twenty-five years of my life.

“Hello,” I said in a shaky voice into my end of the phone.

“Hello! I know this is going to sound crazy and probably creepy and I am sorry. But I see you all the time come into the restaurant to eat. I have a always wanted to get to know you, but I have never had the opportunity to be off work at the times you are leaving. My name is Carl Jones and I work in the office building to the left of you. I am standing in the window waving. Honestly, I am the owner of Jones Seafood Market. I was hoping to catch you today. Please just don’t hang up. I just want to talk and we can talk on the phone like this is fine,” Carl said.

“Well, hello Carl. I am flattered. It is a little strange. But I am open to talking to you over the phone. I can’t tell you when or if I will be ready to meet you face to face, but obviously you know I love eating at this restaurant after work a few times a week! So, my name is Gabby,” I replied.

For the next two weeks, Carl and I would talk on that telephone booth. Finally, it was a Friday night and I decided to walk into that office building and ask for him. The receptionist took me to his office.

The receptionist knocked on the door, “Mr. Jones, you have a guest.”

“Sara does the guest have a name?” Carl asked.

At that moment, Sara looked at me, and I just smiled. She opened the door and I walked in. He was sitting at his desk turned towards the window. He turned around when he heard the door open. “Sara, you didn’t get a name…..?” But when he saw me, his tone changed and he smiled. “Gabby! What a surprise! Sara, you can leave us.”

“Hey Carl! I thought I would surprise you,” I said laughing.

“And what a wonderful surprise it is!” Carl replied as he came from around the desk and gave me a hug.

Who would have thought that twenty five years later and we would still be together. But here I sit today by his hospital bed listening to the beep, drip, beep, drip, beep, drip. The doctors say that there is nothing else they can do. I would give anything to go back to that day at the telephone booth for another twenty-five years.

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep

Out of my thoughts I was awaken to the sound of that machine saying that the love of my life had taken his last breathe. I lean over and kiss him on his lips one last time, and say, “I love you and wait by the telephone booth for me. I will see you again soon.”