Leanne

It was Friday. I got to call him each Friday. I heard the knock on my door, they told me it was my turn. Giddy, I stood up. Made my way through the hall. I wondered how I looked, whether the smile on my face came off as joyous or creepy.

I got to the phone. My fingers rolled to each number. I wonder how many times I had done this by this point. We spoke. He called me by name, each time. I liked it when he said my name. Leanne.

“Leanne, how are you doing?”

And I’d hear a faint smile behind the crackly speaker of the phone. Someone had hit the phone a tad bit too hard — two, no, three weeks ago. He had started working part-time. His mother had gotten better. His pay had been bumped recently.

“Not much, but we’ll take it.”

He asked me what I’d been up to. Not much. It’s the same thing each day.

“Time!” I heard one of them yell. I hated it.

I told him I loved him, and he said it back. I put the phone back.

It must’ve been Wednesday. I knew because I’d slept six times since we last spoke. Though that was not always a reliable way to keep count. Just two more days. I had something very funny to tell him. Someone had dropped their food, cleaned it up, and when they went back to get more food they dropped it again.

Friday came, and with it the knock on my door. I walked down the hall, holding back the urge to sprint down it. Rotated the dial to each number.

“Leanne, how are you doing?” I smiled. “Well, you?” I responded. He told me about his manager, how he had caught a person trying to shoplift. His manager called him out, and the thief immediately confessed. I could hear his smile once more. It was funny. I found it funny. He had made dinner with his mother. She was doing well. Chicken parm. It was their meal, and when I was there, it was ours.

“Time!” I heard one of them yell. I hated it.

I told him I loved him. I heard a pause. He said it back. I put the phone back, wondering when they’d fix it. It’d been nearly a month.

Friday. Knock. My turn.

Hall. Number. Phone.

No answer.

Number. Phone. Number. Phone. Number. Phone. I repeated these actions until I heard the word:

“Time!”