i.
Hey! Just calling to check in.
I didn’t want to call too soon!
I was hoping to catch you at home.
It’s good to hear your voice
on the answering machine, anyway!
I know I’ve only got thirty seconds,
so I won’t ramble too much.
I really enjoyed seeing you again
last week. It’s been so long!
hard to believe we haven’t talked
since we were in grad school.
Look, I know you’re really busy
with your kids, and your job.
I don’t want to make life harder
for you, but I just wanted you
beep
ii.
Hey! It’s me again. Damn!
Was that really thirty seconds?
I don’t know where your machine
cut me off, but I want you to know
that I don’t want to make life harder
for you. I just wanted to tell you
that I really feel— That I really—
You know, I can’t believe
that I didn’t understand
what was happening that night.
Or that you didn’t understand
either. I guess we were just kids!
But that’s water under the bridge,
and I really don’t want to live
beep
iii.
Hey. It’s me. I’m such an idiot.
I must have really sounded
depressed when I called earlier.
Thanks for sending the cops
around, but no—I’m not suicidal.
I guess the answering machine
just cut me off at a bad place.
But using the wrong medium
for important messages
is one of my worst habits.
Like when one of my handwritten
notes to you got intercepted
in tenth-grade English.
Do you remember that?
Talk about embarrassing.
But that’s not
beep
iv.
—uck! Fuck! Fuck!
No! Wait! I didn’t mean to say that!
Crap. I hope that you aren’t
just screening your calls,
letting me ramble like a moron.
Shit, I didn’t sound like this
over dinner, did I? Christ.
Look. I just think it would be great
if we could—
Wait. I’ll call you back.
Someone’s at the door.
v.
Hi. It’s me.
Wow. What can I say?
Thanks for stopping by.
Talking with you in person
was way, way better
than answering-machine tag.
I’ll shut up now—
see you Tuesday!