Phone Message

Watching television, hearing my phone’s ringtone elsewhere in the house, making haste to answer, eventually finding it just in time for the ringing to stop. Usual thing. Checking the call record, number withheld. Oh well, couldn’t have been important. Back to television.

Just getting ready for bed, hearing a soft bleep on the phone, checking. Voice message. Dialling to get it. Yawning through the preamble about number of messages and instructions to hear them. Suddenly, Jane’s voice. The world receding, excluding itself, reducing itself to her sound. A jumble of images awakening, bursting loose from unknown lockers in my mind, she and I and student love.

Her words slightly hesitant, oh hi, it’s Jane, I finally found your number, I’m going to be in London next month, not sure if we could meet up, listen, it’s a bit difficult for me to talk, would it be possible to email me, we can fix something up, I’ve set up an email that nobody else can read. Going on to give me the email address. Continuing, well, hope to meet up, email me, okay. The voice tailing off, as if not wanting to be overheard. The message abruptly ending. The operator’s crisp voice waking me from my reverie.

Logging in to my own secret email account. Entering Jane’s email address. Typing, hi there, just a quick note to say I got your voicemail, thought you’d want confirmation, great, when are you in London? xxx

Send, click. Waiting for a few minutes. Good, no error message, I got the email address right. Okay, log out. Ring the voicemail service again, delete message. Eliminate traces on computer and phone, also check no signs of physical disarray, standard concealment disciplines, especially important when you’re distracted.

Getting into bed. Sleeping soundly, mind strangely free, neither Jane nor Jenny stealing my dreams. Waking, winter dawn just breaking. Jane instantly in my mind. The anticipation of adventures ahead. Heart beating faster.

Morning routines. Finally, sitting down at the computer, checking my secret email, inbox, one email, yes, it’s from Jane.