Social Short Story – Endless ringing
Photo credit: mconnors from morguefile.com
It was my first day at the office. Everyone tried to be friendly. Felt awkward yet excited at the same time. I don’t like feeling at home when I am outside. Outside should feel different. Then it’ll be exciting.
After what felt like hours of getting to know about the work, I had to go to the washroom. Suddenly, while entering, a face appeared right in front of me. I smiled, she smiled back, one-toothless grin of an almost old woman. Apparently, she worked at the office as a helper. She said she had a daughter who was studying the same subject as me, but was a bit junior to me. I went back to my cubicle after the small chat.
The next day, I was at my work, concentrating hard to understand the procedures of the office. I looked up and saw the toothless grin right in front my desk. I smiled back. She said, “I don’t have balance on my phone. Could I call from here?” I was apprehensive about letting someone else use the office phone. So I said,” Why don’t you give me the number and I‘ll call and give the message? Who are you calling by the way?”
“My daughter”
She gave me the number. I dialed. There was ringing on the other side. I waited. No answer. I said ,”She is probably busy .Try again later.”After about three hours, she came back again with expectations on her face. I dialed. No answer. She went back with a small face. The next day, she came again. I dialed. No answer. The phone just kept ringing. This happened thrice that day.
This continued for the next four days. I started to get annoyed.
The next time she came with that same expectant face, I sort of yelled, “Your daughter doesn’t seem to care. Why do you bother?” She went back with the same small face.
During tiffin time, a colleague who had been working at the office long before me, asked me why I had been yelling that day.
I said,” You know, that toothless old hag at our office, she keeps pestering me all the time. Always asking me to dial her daughter’s phone but her daughter doesn’t seem to care. She never picks up!”
Then my colleague said, “Oh! She approached you too? She’s been like that for years now. You see her daughter died three years ago in a bomb blast.”
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