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Description
Cindy set down the bag of groceries, heaving a sigh as heavy as the cans in the bottom.

“Apartment sweet apartment…” She mumbled to herself, words echoing off the walls. Her gaze fell upon the phone as she threw her keys into a bowl on the counter. She allowed her mind to wander as her eyes stayed fixed upon it. “It’s been almost two years…” she realized, with surprise, “since I’ve talked to him…must be three or four since I’ve seen him.”

She shook herself from her thought long enough to reach into the bag and pull out a pint of ice cream. Leaving the rest of the groceries to wait, she grabbed a spoon from the dishwasher and headed for the couch. “Mmm. Pecan ripple.” She commented, distracting herself from the additional phone that now sat to her right. She thought of reaching for the remote, but didn’t move for it.

Still, she couldn’t let the idea go.

“What if..” she thought to herself, as the first spoonful of ice cream entered her mouth, “I just pick up the phone and call him?” She studied the spoon as she twisted it in her hands. Sighing, she stabbed it back into the pint. “What would I say?”

She pondered this thought for a while, allowing ideas and thoughts to return to reruns of past conversations…and arguments. She tried to push down the pain of her unreturned feelings. “I thought I buried that sensation…” she barely thought, as a familiar lump returned to her throat. “Anyway…” She abstractedly started again, “it’s probably all for the best that I never told him how I felt. I got on with my life, didn’t I?”

But there was no answer to the most rhetorical of questions.

Trying another tactic, she shrugged as she crammed another spoonful into her mouth. “I guess I could just call him. I mean, we’re still…friends.” She turned toward the unassuming beast to her right, the phone that sat within her reach. “It’s just that it’s been so long…what will he think?” With a final spoonful into her mouth, she frowned.  “Who cares? I can call if I want to!” She exclaimed, building up the anger until it bubbled into resolve.

She reached for the phone.

She tried, as she dialed the number, not to notice her heart, beating rhythmically faster with the press of every button.

And after a few breathless moments, it began to ring. Each moment that went by, echoing the ringing in her ears, lifted the churning in her stomach- like the Demon Drop, she knew the plummet of anxiousness would follow…“If he ever picks up…”.

But he didn’t.

Four, five rings went by, and she wasn’t sure to be saddened or relived by the sound of a click- his answering machine. She waited as the message began to play, trying to think of something to say.

“Hey, you’ve reached Jimmy. If you’re calling about Robo Pet 8000, it’s on hiatus until I can work out the bugs. If this is someone from NASA, I’m on vacation for the weekend- I’ll be out past Saturn until Sunday night- call back Monday. If it’s anybody else, wait for the beep, you know what to do…”

As he paused, she couldn’t help but smile at the tone of his voice- it had been too long. “I’m not going to bother with a message…”, she decided, but before she could remove the phone to hang up, the sound of his voice stopped her.

“And P.S.: if this is Cindy Vortex…I’m in love with you.”

After a moment or two, she registered the sound of the phone hitting the floor. Rushing to pick it up, she slammed it down into it’s cradle, her hand over her mouth.

“He…he…”

But there were no words. Her heart continued to beat furiously as she replayed the words in her head.

“After all this time, he… he loves me?”

She couldn’t believe the words, not yet, as they sunk down into her mind. She had barely hoped to think that he would remember her kindly, or at all. During so many years of fighting and anger, finally leading up to an awkward ceasefire through high school, Cindy had harbored a secret: a growing affection.

“Did he feel it too?” She had to wonder, thinking back on the kisses they had almost shared. “I thought I was just going crazy - imagining the looks, the words, that I only hoped meant something! But there it was- plain as day. Has he really loved me all this time? That message… he waited for me to…” She swallowed the growing lump in her throat. “To finally call.”

She felt her head spin at the sudden realization of the chance he had took. “How would he know? How would he know if I would ever call, or if I had called, and just never heard the message? Or”, she now considered, “If I heard the message, and just…never cared.”

She tried to imagine what he thought and felt, tried to picture him, coming home to check his messages- waiting for a sign. Waiting for her.

“Call back Monday.” She repeated to herself, remembering his message to the callers. “He’ll be back on Monday. Can I wait that long?”

She glanced at the phone once more, remembering with a softening smile the tone of his words.

“He’s been waiting for me.” She reminded herself. “I can return the favor.”

She got up to put the groceries away.

-------

She couldn’t keep her hands from shaking as she dialed- although from excitement or nervousness, she wasn’t sure. “It’s ringing…” She thought, unable to think of a thing to say as she waited.

Four rings later, his voice entered the picture.

“Hey, this is Jimmy. If this is about the giant poodle in my yard, don’t worry, he’ll be back to normal in about 5.7 hours. If you’re calling about the recent pluming problem in the Midwestern area of the state, no, it’s not my fault this time. Aaaaand if this is Monday night, I’m bowling. Do your thing at the beep, and I’ll get back with you.”

He stopped once more, and for an excruciating second, her thoughts raced.

“Is he going to say it? Was it just a one time…joke? Maybe he knew I never call. Maybe it was a dare…Maybe…oh, it could have been a thousand things! I was such an idiot!” She moved to throw the phone back onto it’s cradle, until she heard him sigh.

“Oh, and…if this is Cindy Vortex,” he said, as she listened to the pain in his voice, “I’m in love with you.”

Her mind reeled- how long she had felt what his voice now carried. “He feels hopeless…” She knew, feeling the memories of pain turning inside out to be his voice. “Hopeless and stupid and alone.”

It was all she could do to leave her number.

-----------

“Hiii-ya!” She screamed, as her roundhouse kick slammed into the punching bag.  She tried to pattern her breathing as she one-two-ed it into submission.

She couldn’t stop. The hours had ticked by so slow, until it came, at last, to 9:00 at night. She was running out of things to do.

“Will he ever call back?” She tried desperately not to wonder. “Should I call again? What if he changed his mind?” She delivered a sloppy blade kick to the bag as she rolled her eyes at herself. “That’s ridiculous- why would he change his mind so soon? He probably just…”

She stopped, tilting her head to the ringing in her ears.

“The phone!” She screamed, as she ran to the living room. She gulped down a breathful of air, but it didn’t slow the racing of her heart as she answered.

She had pondered this moment, over the hours: wondering what to say, if given the chance.  Now, here it was, and she closed her eyes.

On the other end, he waited breathlessly as he heard the sound of her voice, nervously gentle.

“Hey, you’ve reached Cindy Vortex. If you’re calling about my heart...it’s taken. If this is about the rest of life...I’m busy. But if this is Jimmy Neutron, I love you too.” She bit her lips as she waited- the seconds ticking slower than she could have imagined. Then, at last, she was able to breathe again.

“YYYYESSSSSSS!!!!!” He exclaimed, and she couldn’t help but smile as she heard what she could only assume was the sound of him jumping around. “She! She! YES!” She covered her mouth to muffle the laugh as she heard a scrambling noise. “Ah! The machine!!! Er…”

But she had one final thing to say.

“By the way,” She finished, as he quieted to hear the closing of the message, “this is not an answering machine.” Taking in another gulp of the sweetest air she had ever tasted, she smiled. “Hello, Jimmy.”

Description
Cindy set down the bag of groceries, heaving a sigh as heavy as the cans in the bottom.

“Apartment sweet apartment…” She mumbled to herself, words echoing off the walls. Her gaze fell upon the phone as she threw her keys into a bowl on the counter. She allowed her mind to wander as her eyes stayed fixed upon it. “It’s been almost two years…” she realized, with surprise, “since I’ve talked to him…must be three or four since I’ve seen him.”

She shook herself from her thought long enough to reach into the bag and pull out a pint of ice cream. Leaving the rest of the groceries to wait, she grabbed a spoon from the dishwasher and headed for the couch. “Mmm. Pecan ripple.” She commented, distracting herself from the additional phone that now sat to her right. She thought of reaching for the remote, but didn’t move for it.

Still, she couldn’t let the idea go.

“What if..” she thought to herself, as the first spoonful of ice cream entered her mouth, “I just pick up the phone and call him?” She studied the spoon as she twisted it in her hands. Sighing, she stabbed it back into the pint. “What would I say?”

She pondered this thought for a while, allowing ideas and thoughts to return to reruns of past conversations…and arguments. She tried to push down the pain of her unreturned feelings. “I thought I buried that sensation…” she barely thought, as a familiar lump returned to her throat. “Anyway…” She abstractedly started again, “it’s probably all for the best that I never told him how I felt. I got on with my life, didn’t I?”

But there was no answer to the most rhetorical of questions.

Trying another tactic, she shrugged as she crammed another spoonful into her mouth. “I guess I could just call him. I mean, we’re still…friends.” She turned toward the unassuming beast to her right, the phone that sat within her reach. “It’s just that it’s been so long…what will he think?” With a final spoonful into her mouth, she frowned.  “Who cares? I can call if I want to!” She exclaimed, building up the anger until it bubbled into resolve.

She reached for the phone.

She tried, as she dialed the number, not to notice her heart, beating rhythmically faster with the press of every button.

And after a few breathless moments, it began to ring. Each moment that went by, echoing the ringing in her ears, lifted the churning in her stomach- like the Demon Drop, she knew the plummet of anxiousness would follow…“If he ever picks up…”.

But he didn’t.

Four, five rings went by, and she wasn’t sure to be saddened or relived by the sound of a click- his answering machine. She waited as the message began to play, trying to think of something to say.

“Hey, you’ve reached Jimmy. If you’re calling about Robo Pet 8000, it’s on hiatus until I can work out the bugs. If this is someone from NASA, I’m on vacation for the weekend- I’ll be out past Saturn until Sunday night- call back Monday. If it’s anybody else, wait for the beep, you know what to do…”

As he paused, she couldn’t help but smile at the tone of his voice- it had been too long. “I’m not going to bother with a message…”, she decided, but before she could remove the phone to hang up, the sound of his voice stopped her.

“And P.S.: if this is Cindy Vortex…I’m in love with you.”

After a moment or two, she registered the sound of the phone hitting the floor. Rushing to pick it up, she slammed it down into it’s cradle, her hand over her mouth.

“He…he…”

But there were no words. Her heart continued to beat furiously as she replayed the words in her head.

“After all this time, he… he loves me?”

She couldn’t believe the words, not yet, as they sunk down into her mind. She had barely hoped to think that he would remember her kindly, or at all. During so many years of fighting and anger, finally leading up to an awkward ceasefire through high school, Cindy had harbored a secret: a growing affection.

“Did he feel it too?” She had to wonder, thinking back on the kisses they had almost shared. “I thought I was just going crazy - imagining the looks, the words, that I only hoped meant something! But there it was- plain as day. Has he really loved me all this time? That message… he waited for me to…” She swallowed the growing lump in her throat. “To finally call.”

She felt her head spin at the sudden realization of the chance he had took. “How would he know? How would he know if I would ever call, or if I had called, and just never heard the message? Or”, she now considered, “If I heard the message, and just…never cared.”

She tried to imagine what he thought and felt, tried to picture him, coming home to check his messages- waiting for a sign. Waiting for her.

“Call back Monday.” She repeated to herself, remembering his message to the callers. “He’ll be back on Monday. Can I wait that long?”

She glanced at the phone once more, remembering with a softening smile the tone of his words.

“He’s been waiting for me.” She reminded herself. “I can return the favor.”

She got up to put the groceries away.

-------

She couldn’t keep her hands from shaking as she dialed- although from excitement or nervousness, she wasn’t sure. “It’s ringing…” She thought, unable to think of a thing to say as she waited.

Four rings later, his voice entered the picture.

“Hey, this is Jimmy. If this is about the giant poodle in my yard, don’t worry, he’ll be back to normal in about 5.7 hours. If you’re calling about the recent pluming problem in the Midwestern area of the state, no, it’s not my fault this time. Aaaaand if this is Monday night, I’m bowling. Do your thing at the beep, and I’ll get back with you.”

He stopped once more, and for an excruciating second, her thoughts raced.

“Is he going to say it? Was it just a one time…joke? Maybe he knew I never call. Maybe it was a dare…Maybe…oh, it could have been a thousand things! I was such an idiot!” She moved to throw the phone back onto it’s cradle, until she heard him sigh.

“Oh, and…if this is Cindy Vortex,” he said, as she listened to the pain in his voice, “I’m in love with you.”

Her mind reeled- how long she had felt what his voice now carried. “He feels hopeless…” She knew, feeling the memories of pain turning inside out to be his voice. “Hopeless and stupid and alone.”

It was all she could do to leave her number.

-----------

“Hiii-ya!” She screamed, as her roundhouse kick slammed into the punching bag.  She tried to pattern her breathing as she one-two-ed it into submission.

She couldn’t stop. The hours had ticked by so slow, until it came, at last, to 9:00 at night. She was running out of things to do.

“Will he ever call back?” She tried desperately not to wonder. “Should I call again? What if he changed his mind?” She delivered a sloppy blade kick to the bag as she rolled her eyes at herself. “That’s ridiculous- why would he change his mind so soon? He probably just…”

She stopped, tilting her head to the ringing in her ears.

“The phone!” She screamed, as she ran to the living room. She gulped down a breathful of air, but it didn’t slow the racing of her heart as she answered.

She had pondered this moment, over the hours: wondering what to say, if given the chance.  Now, here it was, and she closed her eyes.

On the other end, he waited breathlessly as he heard the sound of her voice, nervously gentle.

“Hey, you’ve reached Cindy Vortex. If you’re calling about my heart...it’s taken. If this is about the rest of life...I’m busy. But if this is Jimmy Neutron, I love you too.” She bit her lips as she waited- the seconds ticking slower than she could have imagined. Then, at last, she was able to breathe again.

“YYYYESSSSSSS!!!!!” He exclaimed, and she couldn’t help but smile as she heard what she could only assume was the sound of him jumping around. “She! She! YES!” She covered her mouth to muffle the laugh as she heard a scrambling noise. “Ah! The machine!!! Er…”

But she had one final thing to say.

“By the way,” She finished, as he quieted to hear the closing of the message, “this is not an answering machine.” Taking in another gulp of the sweetest air she had ever tasted, she smiled. “Hello, Jimmy.”