The Phone Rings

The anticipation before anything important is much scarier than the thing itself.

The first set of rings sets in her ears as she freezes in the middle of her meal. "Could that be them?" She pauses, turns towards the phone, and sighs at the sight of the telemarketer's phone number on the caller ID. Ignoring the call, she continues her meal, her 2 year old son sitting close by eating away as he makes a mess of his high chair. "God, I hope they call soon." Her eyes shoot to the bills she cannot pay and then back to her food for a while. Her the table moves with her nerves, her body unable to remain still. The second set of rings pierces the silence and she glances again at the caller ID. This time the number strikes fear into her mind. 

The phone rings once

"Oh god, it's them. What do I say? What do I do?"

The phone rings twice

"D****t, I can not be rejected by another business. I should just ignore it... Shouldn't I?" She paused, glaring at the number on the phone. "No, I have to answer. It's the only way to take care of him."

A third ring fills her ears.

"If they say no, I will be up to my neck in debt by the end of the month... Maybe they called Steve?" She mulled this over. "No, even if they did, I was fired."

A fourth ring, impatient now, grows louder in her head.

"I've waited too long. They won't appreciate this type of wait. I'll just let it go."

Ring number five and six go in time with the cries of the child, now covered with mashed food.

"Oh god, but what about the baby? I have to find a way to pay for him... D****t Jerry, why did you leave? It's been too long."
Ring seven echoes, long and hard in her ears.

"No, I have to answer." She reaches for her phone. Holding it in her hand, she continues to think.

Ring eight.

Ring nine.

She slides the small green phone icon to the right and holds it up to her ear. "Tamara Washington speaking. I apologize for the wait, I just finished cleaning up my child." She begins to cry as the man on the other land delivers his message. Her face grows longer as thoughts flood the deepest rivers of her mind.

"How could I have been so stupid?"

"Look at the time I wasted."
"I should have answered on the first ring."

"There was nothing to worry about after all."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Sandebar. I'll be in on Monday morning." As she hung up the phone, her shoulders dropped. She was going to be okay.

Author's Note

This was just something I threw together just now. Is the message clear?
Do you take anything away from it?

Reviews

[Marie]

The message is very clear.

Putting off answering a telephone doesn't make things better.