Chapter 18
Roy let out a long sigh, and looked out the window at the street below. A few people were walking on the sidewalk; a group of kids, being fairly noisy, and a woman walking a dog. He took a deep breath, ran his fingers through his hair, and again sighed.
“How can I call her? Asking the neighbours is just dumb, and I'm never using a payphone again” He rested his head on his hand and let out another sigh. Roy's eyes started to drift around his room, stopping at a pile of DVD's. “That was the biggest waste of money ever! Only like two of them where about psychics, and the others... Spy movies! That's it! In the movies the agent always buys disposable phones, I'll just do that. They can't be that much... can they?”
Roy looked at the clock on his night stand, twelve noon. He was still recuperating from his excursion to Nina's, there was still the slightest hint of fatigue, but that was the only remaining symptom.
“I don't want to leave the house, but how else will I get one?” A few minutes passed, he sat in the quietness of his room. He took a deep breath, “Fine... I'll go.” As if someone had asked him, or was insisting on him to leave, he finally said.
Rolling out of the bed, Roy crawled to his dresser. He sat on the floor, with his legs crossed, and started digging through the drawers.
Roy was surprised to find that many places carried disposable cellular phones, and that they where reasonably priced, costing less than twenty dollars.
As the door opened a bell rang, signalling the clerk that a customer had walked into the store.
“Hello,” The cashier greeted Roy, “can I help you find anything?” He asked.
“Yeah, I need a cell phone, not like an expensive, fancy phone, but simple cheap one, without any contracts.”
“You mean like a prepaid cell phone?” He asked.
“Yeah, that's exactly it. How much do they cost?” Roy asked.
“Follow me and I'll show you the selection.” The cashier walked from behind the counter and gestured for Roy to follow him, and Roy did. They walked to an aisle with a dozen or more phones on the shelf. “Here they are, if you have any questions just ask, okay?” The clerk said.
“Okay.” Roy replied, looking at the phones. He grabbed the cheapest phone, “I guess this is all I need.”
“Okay, I’ll ring you up.” They walked back to the counter. “How has your day been?” He clerk asked, trying to make small talk as he swiped the package across the a scanner.
“It's been good, well more like neutral.” Roy replied.
“Neutral? That's a new one.”
“Well, it hasn't been good, but it hasn't been bad. You know?” Roy said, trying to elaborate and to get his point across.
“I know how that is. Try working here, it's so monotonous.”
“I sorry.” Roy said, not sure if it was the right thing to say.
“It's okay, a job is a job.” The clerk let out a sigh of dismay.
Roy looked at him as his vision shifted to the counter, the item had been scanned and the total price flashed on a small screen facing Roy. The total was twenty plus tax, making it twenty-one dollars and fifty cents. Roy pulled out a twenty and two ones from his wallet and handed it to the man, which then returned fifty cents and a receipt. “Thanks for the help.”
“Your welcome.” The man replied.
Roy walked out the door, ringing the bell on the way out.
The process of finding the store, buying the phone and walking home took less time, combined, than the process of setting up the phone.
After hours of talking to customer service, dialling long sequences of numbers, and cursing God, the phone was activated and ready to use. He held the phone in his hand and stared at it, like a medal he had just won, the victory of defeating the phone's service carrier, a feeling of accomplishment filled him. Roy felt a surge of pride, even though he knew that many people every day do that exact thing, and in probably less time.
He flipped the screen of the phone, revealing the number keys, and slowly dialled Nina's number. What if her dad recognizes my voice?... I know!He thought back to a spy movie, the agent had to call the bad guy and the bad guy knew his voice, so the agent used what he call a “Voice Modulator”. The device changed his voice and everything turned out well. Roy knew that devices of that nature existed, except they were called filters. I don't have anything like that,he thought back to the device, I'll just make my voice deeper. This could solve a lot of problems in the future. He smiled, then someone answered the phone. Please be Nina.He crossed his fingers.
“Hello?” Came the deep voice of her father.
Damn it.“Hello, yes is Nina home?” Roy said, voice deep and throat almost hurting, sounding like a frog.
“Yes, may I ask who I'm speaking to?” Her father asked.
“Yes this is...” Roy tried to think of a name, he looked around his room for inspiration. Seeing his wooden bed frame, “this is Woodie, I'm in, was in, her class.”
His lie fell into place, and Nina's father called for her. Roy heart was pounding hard and rapidly, he could not believe that his plan worked.
“Hello? I'm so sorry, Woodie, but I don't really remember you.” Nina's sweet voice flowed into Roy's ears, a euphoria befell him and he could not help but smile.
“Nina, it's me, Roy.” He fought back the excitement, trying to prevent himself from yelling into the receiver.
“Ah... clever. Why Woodie? What ever happened to Mercedes?” She chuckled.
“I bought a phone, so I don't have to use payphones or neighbours. Woodie was the only name I could think of, you don't like it?” Roy asked.
Nina exhaled and then took a deep breath, “Well, how did you think of it? You just looked around and saw a two-by-four, and figured it would be a good name?” She laughed.
“No.” He lied.
“Okay.” Nina said with sarcasm.
“How have you been?” Roy asked.
“Not that well. I've been really lonely and there's nothing to do. Plus it turns out that when I thought long and hard, we don't really know that many people. Did you know that?”
“Of course we know people there, how about....” He drew a blank. “Your right, but there has to be something to do.”
“Not really. Why didn't we ever see how boring this town is? Like seriously, nothing to do. I'm running out of puzzles and books.” She stopped for a second and then added, “How have you been?”
Roy thought for a moment and said, “This town sucks.”
“Why?” Nina asked.
“Because your not here. I miss you.”
“I miss you too.”
Roy rubbed his eyes and hoped that he would not cry, and that if he did Nina would not hear. “At least we can talk.”
“Yeah, that's true,” She looked to see if the area was clear, “and your Woodie persona will make it much more easier to talk. You know, I could have just called you. Then you wouldn't have had to spend your money on a phone.” Roy's jaw dropped, the thought had never dawned on him. He slapped his palm against his face. “I never thought of that... but... but... oh well.” He laughed, “It's just money, I'd gladly spend ten times the amount to talk to you.”
Nina laughed, “That's sweet.”
Their conversation continued for another hour.
Nina's mother walked into the room where Nina was using the phone. “Nina dinner, tell Roy you'll call him back.”
She startled Nina, “Mom... how did you know?” She asked.
“Don't worry I won't tell your father, it's none of his business anyway. Tell Roy I said hello.”
“Okay,” She said to her mother, then she turned and spoke to the receiver. “Mom says hello.”
“Tell her I said hi.” Roy replied.
“He says hi.” Nina said to her mother.
“Okay Nina tell him you have to go, it's dinner.”
“I have to go, it's dinner, I love you.” She said to Roy.
“I love you too, bye.”
“Bye.”
The receiver on Nina's side hung up, leaving the sound of the dial tone in Roy's hear, he then hung up. He put the phone on the night stand. “Ah...” Running his hands through his hair, he could do nothing but smile. We talked! We talked!
They spoke frequently, almost every day, and each time the conversations would last for hours.
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