Entry #64

Moonlighting
by Noemi


Ananya awoke to the sound of the telephone blaring in her ear. She'd fallen asleep on the hand which was gripping the phone. The light of the moon streamed onto her bed, and diagonally across her body.

It seemed as if she was cut, by light, in two. She winced at the irony.

Her eyes sought the clock glowing red on the bureau sitting across from the bed-

3:28am

"I knew he would call back". Thank God, she whispered to herself.

She pressed the "talk" button and the words began to spill out of her mouth as if the button was a remote control, and she was an electronic device.

"Michael, I'm so sorry- please forgive me, you know I love you, it's just that I get so wound up and stressed out sometimes I cannot control my tongue. Sweetheart, please don't hold it against me. We'll work it out. I feel that this time I have the courage-"

Michael?

Are you there?

"Nani darling, the connection here is very poor, so just listen ok, I might get cut off. My plane comes in at 5. Please don't be late, also, if you could bring my grey suit-"

The line went dead, she hadn't uttered a word.

Ananya looked through her window at the mottled moon. You know how I feel, don't you?

As Ananya hung up the phone, and whispered once again "Thank God".

For she realized that her husband, Surit, hadn't heard one word she said.