“Pick up, pick up, pick up!” The phone rang about four times each time was more sickening than the last.
“Hello?” A woman’s voice asked.
Oh thank god. “Hello, is there a Nate home?” I crossed my fingers and looked over my shoulder.
“I’m sorry, he’s not home right now… Can I take a message?” she asked politely.
“No! wait, is this Dolly?” I was running out of time.
“Yes, who is this?” She asked.
“I’m sorry, this is Andrew. Umm Len’s son.”
“Andrew! Oh, hello sweetie! How have you been doing?” Dolly was my father’s collage friend. She and him had almost gone out but she had followed her heart to London. When her dream of opening her own gallery failed she opened a pub.
”Not to good, hey Dolly remember when you told dad if he was ever in London he could stay with you?” I felt awful doing this but I couldn’t stay here any longer.
“Well, I mean- I yes…” It seemed like she knew where this was going.
“I wanted to ask you a favor… do, do you think I could come out to London and stay with you until I get a job? I…. need to get away.” god whats wrong with me.
”Now Andrew,”
“For me, Dolly please nothing is the same without him. I can’t stand it here.” I can’t believe I was begging. Is there nothing I wont stoop to?
”Andrew, listen I was a friend of your father’s but this is to big a favor to ask.” I was losing her.
”No! I can pay for my ticket and everything.I have money saved up I just need a place to stay..”
“You can’t run away from your problems.” She spoke so softly.
“I can’t go back now.” I rested my elbow on the edge of the payphone defeated. I couldn’t go back. If she didn’t let me stay I’d live on the street. Or anything as long as I didn’t go back.
“Andrew… Do they hurt you?”
”Please.”
”Andrew if we need to get the authorities involved-” Dolly was a very smart woman. As smart as she was caring.
“No, no police just a break.” I waited for awhile I was afraid I’d lost her. “Hello?” the phone timed out. “No shit!”
I jammed two more quarters into the phone and dialed again. “Hello!?”
“Okay… okay you can stay with us and if you’d like you can take a job as our pub to pay us off.”
“My god, thank you so much! I can’t thank you enough! I’ll see you soon!”
“Wait, how did you get this number?”
“Dad always kept your number on his desk.. He always talked about you, I’m sorry you were the first one I’d thought to call” I’ve always wondered what it would’ve been like if dad had married Dolly. I thought that now more than ever.
”I’ll see you soon Andy.” She hung up the phone. She had called me Andy. Only dad called me Andy.
What was I doing? I hung up the phone and braced myself on the payphone. I couldn’t breath, but I could stop here.
