The Phone Call

He could hear the phone ringing inside his apartment and he ran up the last few stairs. He fumbled with the keys, and by the time he had managed to unlock the door, the caller had hung up. He quickly glanced at the phone to see whose call he had just missed.

It was her. Anxious, he waited to see if she had left a voice mail. He felt the seconds go by without any evidence of a new message. Relieved, yet disappointed, he sank to the floor where he remained and waited in the dark. After it became obvious that she had not left a message, he let out deep sigh of relief. He was exhausted. Since she had not left a voicemail, he could pretend as if the call had never registered on his phone. “Phew, that was close.”, he thought.

He stayed on the floor in the dark for a while and thought about things. He rather enjoyed reflecting quietly while surrounded by impenetrable darkness. It made him feel calm and at ease. He had just regained his composure, and was about to get up, turn on the lights, and get busy when the phone in his hand signaled a new voicemail. “Oh, crap”, he thought.