Unknown Number

“Hello?”


“Wow. It’s been forever since I’ve heard your voice.”


“Oh my god.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I just -“

“You just what? You just couldn’t face it? Couldn’t face me? Too scared to clean up your mess so you just ran?”

“Baby, I - “

“Baby??”


“…”

“…I don’t know if I want to hear from you. I don’t know if I want to do this.”


“I understand. Can I… Can I at least try?”

“…”


“I… I know it’s not enough. That after all this time anything I say will fall flat. It’s less than you deserve, but… I had to try. For my own sake. You don’t have to let me though. That’s fair. For what it’s worth I hope you’re doing well… all things considered.”

“Was that your try?”


“No… I… I didn’t plan it.”


“You never did.”

“I guess maybe I thought you’d be excited to hear from me."


“Oh did you?”

“Hoped. Maybe.”

“Do I sound excited?”

“No. You sound… never mind, I’m sorry.”

“No. How do I sound?”

“Honey, I’m not gonna tell you how you feel.”

“I didn’t ask how I felt, I asked how I sounded. What do you hear?”

“Anger.”

“Mhm.”

“Disappointment.”

“Oh, yeah. What else?”

“…sad.”

“Yeah. That one too.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop saying that. It doesn’t mean anything if you don’t mean it and I don’t know how to tell if you mean it.”

“I mean it.”

“Why?”

“What?”

“Why do you mean it?”

“I um…”

“…”

“I just didn’t like the way things were left, the way things are now… I… want it to be different, and I felt this might be a good first step.”

“You’re talking in circles.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No. Not really. I don’t really think it’s necessary to dig it up after we’ve both spent so much time processing and scabbing over.”

“Oh. Okay. That makes sense. …um. Thank you for that. I would have, but… I don’t want to talk about it either.”

“I know.”

“…”

“…”

“I -“

“Do you want me to talk?”

“I’d like that.”

“I got married.”

“Oh. Oh that’s nice! For how long? What’s he like?”

“Not like you.”

“…”

“I’m sorry. That was mean. It just… that happened before I knew what was happening… and it’s not entirely true.”

“It’s not?”

“No. He sings off key, but you’d never know it with how much confidence he has. He puts on his right shoe before his left sock. And he folds his pizza.”

“Heh… it’s just better when you eat it like a sandwich.”

“Hahaha no it’s not! Completely ruins the mouthfeel.”

“…”

“…”

“How’s your mother? …if you want to tell me.”

“…she has more good days than bad ones.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Yeah. I’m really proud of her.”

“…”

“I have a daughter.”

“Oh! That’s amazing! How old?”

“She’s four.”

“Oh. That’s um… an important age.”

“It is.”

“Um. What’s her name?”

“…Frankie Jo.”

“…Frankie like grandma?”

“Yeah dad. Frankie like grandma.”

“…That’s a real nice name, sweetie.”

“I think so too.”

“Um, so… I need to clock back into work here. Could I maybe… call you again?”

“Yeah. I’d like that."