Day Eleven

(For more information on my 'April Challenge' see HERE)

(51)JUST PASSING

'Call me,' she said. So I did. Only she didn’t answer. It was someone else. A complete stranger. ‘Just passing,’ the stranger said and, ‘I heard the ring.’ And so we got to talking and she said she liked the sound of my voice and I thought that was nice.

(52)AT HOME IN AN OLD PHONE BOX

It was a bet at first. To spend a whole day and night in a phone box. Sleeping standing up, like horses in a small space. Then one day stretched to two, and it’s been a year so far. And Carter gets calls sometimes, and it cheers him to talk.

(53)EMMA AND WHAT SHE SAYS SHE KNOWS

They smell of piss sometimes and they never used to. And there’s pictures of girls with few clothes on, their numbers begging you to call. And he does, just to see. She says her name is Emma and she knows what he likes but he doesn’t know how she can.

(54)HELLO

‘Hello. Is there anybody there? Someone? Anyone? Only, you picked up and so I think there must be someone. On the other end. Listening. Anyway, I said I’d call and so here I am, and if Paulette’s there than can you at least tell her? She’d like to know. Hello?’

(55)REMEMBERING RED PHONE BOXES

They were everywhere once, a red scream and hard to miss. A thick thumbed directory always there, the boxes clean and dry, safe shelter in bad weather. And I first put my hand under Davina Holland's blouse standing in a phone box, and rang Tony to tell him right away.