Prompts 2017 - 6. Who listens to the listener?

Who listens to the listener?

Sniffling I hit the speed dial.

“Hey, dahling, it’s a really bad time to talk right now. I’m just heading out for a date with that dreamboat I told you about. Thanks for listening last week and helping me decide. Gotta go, ciao.”

A long tone told me Larry had hung up and I just stood there staring at my phone.

I grabbed some tissues and hit the next number.

“This is Carter,” came the distracted answer. I could hear tapping in the background and figured he was on his laptop finishing his latest paper.

“Carter, I need—”

“Ah, I was going to ring you tomorrow. Thank you so much for being my sounding board the other day. The block disappeared this morning and I’ve been writing steadily ever since. I can’t talk now, but I promise I’ll call you tomorrow and we’ll arrange to go out and celebrate.”

Again, I heard the tone that told me he’d hung up.

I rummaged around in the bag at my feet. Ah, there it was. I pulled out the bottle of wine, opened it and took a large gulp before I picked my phone back up.

The next number was Tasha.

“Hi, this is Tasha, sorry I can’t come to the phone but leave me a message and I promise I’ll get back to you soon.”

I hung up before the beep ended.

Kirsty next.

As soon as she picked I started to speak, “Kirsty, I need you to—”

“Sorry, sweetie. I really can’t talk. Stevie isn’t well. He’s been chucking up all night and I need to get him to the doctors. We’ll have to catch up soon though, that advice you gave me really worked and I want to tell you all the juicy deats.”

Yet again there was that tone.

I gulped down more of the wine and dug in my bag for the candies I’d bought too. So much for my plans. Only hours before I was getting ready to celebrate. How could the world change so much in so short a time?

I scrolled through my contacts. Jessie? No, he was on the vacation I persuaded him he needed. Lester? No, he was studying for the exams that I’d assured him he would pass. Vanessa? No, she and Peter were on a second honeymoon, after I’d talked them through a rocky patch.

In a fit of rage I threw my phone and watched as it shattered against the far wall.

A knock on the door heralded the entrance of a tall woman wearing a sympathetic smile. “Hi, I’m Sally. I’m the hospital’s grief counselor and I heard about your loss.”

That was the last straw. I collapsed across the hospital bed and sobbed. I grasped the cold hand laying there and willed it to become warm. Will it to close over my hand as it had done so many times. I gripped so tight the wedding band on a cold finger dug into mine and would probably leave a bruise—I didn’t care. Nothing mattered anymore without him. We were supposed to be celebrating tonight. We’d just got the news that we’d been accepted to the adoption program. He’d been so happy. I’d only gone out to get drinks and snacks. I was only gone for twenty minutes. The flashing lights in the street hadn’t even registered until I realized they were outside our house. I’d responded on autopilot when the paramedics had taken him. The police were there too. Apparently, a neighbor had called them when he heard a crash. The police gave me a ride to the hospital. But, it was too late. A heart attack. At thirty years old.

A hand on my shoulder made me look up into Sally’s concerned gaze. “Sir, is there anyone I can call for you?”