phone call

having settled down into a sort of an easy calm in my own cubicle in the office ("calm" being relative to the general environment) i got a call on my mobile.

there was no number displayed, only "Call", which is reserved for overseas numbers, like from my dad, who's overseas most of the time. or evil marketeers from malaysia. or my darling boy who's been sent overseas and hadn't called for the entire week.


"could it be?" i asked myself, half excited, not wanting to get excited.

so i picked the phone up, not really wanting to be quick about it, so i can say – oh, it wasn't so bad, these three weeks. pshaw, i wouldn't mind having to go through another three – and picked up the line in two rings.

"hello?"

nothing.

"hello??"

nothing.

is the line dead or something? is there something wrong with the phone? i swear i was beginning to have the palpitations here, the butterflies in my stomach began to stir –


my throat was dry and as i was about to say again, heartfelt, "hello," –

SOME CHAINA LADY SAID IN MAINLAND CHAINESE, "hello, i'm calling from – "


click.