THE BEAUTIFUL ONE~Volume One

DAY FIVE (cont.)

"Ah...So you brought telephone with you, Michael." I commented with a grin as I observed Michael as he switched off the device and returned the unit (the cover back in the closed position) to its rightful place inside the euro holding section of his wallet. "I've never seen telephone the size and shape of credit card before." I continued as I silently recalled customers to the brothel, as well as customers at Prost Market, in possession of similar devices (though not as fancy, and too big to conceal in a wallet). "Papa Yuri found little phone inside empty basket at market a while ago." I commented as I finished making the desired notations of times and street addresses on the notepad I'd retrieved, along with the newspaper, before closing the newspaper and setting it to one side, while simultaneously setting down the pen I'd been writing with before grasping the notepad in one hand, and gently and carefully tearing off the topmost sheet with the other.

"He at first thought phone was make up case, or case for hiding large amounts of money, until phone started to ring, and he opened it, and found keypad and little symbols telling him how to answer and hang up phone...Apparently the phone's owner had lost the phone in one of the baskets while buying vegetables. The phone had fallen out of purse I guess." I continued half as an aside to myself, as I held up the slip of note paper, and double checked the information written on it. "At least phone was in plain sight in basket, and Papa didn't have to go rummaging through things to find source of ring tone." I commented with a tone of mock seriousness as I pretended to be annoyed with Michael for having made me play a game of "find the phone" before continuing with a smile and a wink to let Michael know I was just kidding. "Can I see your phone?...I know you just put it away." I asked with curious interest, as I crossed over to Michael who obliged my request with a friendly "Sure", as he removed the phone from his wallet, and handed the device to me after opening the cover, thus revealing the keypad and other buttons. "Ah...Thank you, Michael." I said as I held the device which Michael placed in my hands in the proper upright vertical position. "Is different from old-fashioned telephones...with cords and wires." I continued, while examining the device from different angles. "Has keypad...like calculator...or little computer with little screen so you can see numbers...Hm, let's see...How to make call." I continued, while scanning the device in search of the little button Michael had pressed earlier when answering his in-coming phone call. "Ah...here it is." I said, as I soon after recognized the little button in the lower half of the device (the button located just below the hinge which kept the upper and lower halves of the device fastened together, and enabled the phone's user to reduce the phone down to its compact credit card size after using. "Now, let's see...I will call to check time." I continued, not really needing to check the time but mainly interested in making a practice phone call on this clever new device I was holding. "Let's see...Information...dial Operator", I continued "Operator..."O". I concluded to myself, as I pressed the key at the bottom –most part of the device, before holding the device to my ear just as I had seen Michael hold the same device to his ear several minutes earlier. " Operator?...Yes, would like to know time please." I requested in Russian to the inquiry of the female voice who greeted me. "Ah...I see...Thank you." I replied, pleasantly businesslike, to the operator after having been given a series of three digits-a 'three' followed by two 'ones'-to dial, or rather type in order to contact the party or parties capable of providing the information I pretended to require. "Let me see...", I muttered under my breath, as I scanned the communication device for and found the little button with the little symbol of a telephone earpiece and receiver (the little button which, when pressed, disconnected the call, thus 'hanging up' the phone) which I pressed to end my communication with the operator before scanning the phone key pad for, and typing a 'three' and two 'ones' , (digits which showed on the display screen, thus indicating the numbers had been 'dialed', and I would shortly be in contact with the person or persons capable of providing me with the information I was now seeking, as soon as I then pressed the same little button just below the hinge of the phone (the same button I'd seen Michael press earlier), before returning the phone to its place next to my ear.