Wrong Number
Phone rings. Take the call.
“I’m calling about the apartment you have available.”
“I’m sorry, there is no apartment. Not here anyway.”
“The ad in the Pennysaver says there’s an apartment. That’s why I’ve called.”
“I know. I’ve been getting calls all week about this apartment. The Pennysaver must have published my number by mistake. I don’t know anything about any apartment.”
“Do you have the right number I should call?”
“No, sorry. I wish I did.”
“Could you describe it to me?”
“Describe what?”
“The apartment.”
“I told you, there is no apartment. There’s been a mistake.”
“What am I going to do?”
“I really don’t know.”
“I need a place to live.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Can you describe it to me?”
“I told you, there is no apartment.”
“I know. Can you describe your place to me?”
“My place? You want me to describe my place to you?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I need a place to live.”
“How is describing my place going to help you find a place to live?”
“I have a good imagination.”
“I’m going to hang up now.”
“You can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because we’re in this together.”
“No, we’re not. This is just a wrong number.”
“We could make it right.”
Maverick silence ensues.
“We could, you know.”
©John P. O’Grady
Originally appeared in The Mountain Eagle on January 29, 2021
