Grand, I want you to meet......

Dial tone:
Speed Dial: 001
Ring
"you have reached the voice messaging system of.." at&t automated voice
"good." I mumble under my breath.
Dial tone
FADE2BLACK
Speed Dial: 003
Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring.
No one answers. I allow it to ring for two minutes and one second, before it finally flatllines to a sickening dial tone. I lost count of the number of rings, as I had begun a conversation along the hazed fuzz and white noise lingering in the background of my thoughts. My voice reaching out along the cellular towers and optic fiber cables buried deeper then her shallow grave. Six feet is not deep enough. Six feet of soil I reach to dig with calloused mind, longing for the routine in her voice. Needing the routine of the method in which we entertained ourselves. Creavices in brain mane and paralyze my tongue. I mumble conversation to teeth and gums, hoping that it would reach her aging ears.
"I miss you. I love you. I have meet someone and I am very happy." I say to empty space in phone, relieved that after nine months no one has been given her number.
FADE2BLACK
Speed Dial: 003
"ma-ga-reet?"
"yes, Kim," replied the voice. "don't nobody call here with that mess but you. howyadoin'babee? everything alright up there?"
"I'm all right. grand, watchaduin'?"
"nothin' babee, grand, is just sitting here in this old chair tryin' to fin' sumthin' on this t.v.. it ain't nuthin' on though."
"you feeling all right?"
"I'm duin' alright, I guess. I dunno. just got these pains in my stomach. the doctor said that there's nuthin' wrong, but babee, grand knows sumthin' just ain't right. I shouldn't feel like this. ya kno'? I'm tired all the time. I jus' don't feel like myself."
"what'd they say?"
"they keep saying ain't nunthin' wrong. they're sendin' me to take some more tests. i talked to your sister about them. your daddy came by here the other day. he sure looked handsome. Roy's always been a goodlookingman."
"yea, he was visiting Austin and was driving down to see Aunt Ruth. he said he would come by when he got there."
Long silence.
"grand?"
"yea babee."
"you sure you're all right. you sound distracted."
"babee, i'm alright. i'm just sittin' here."
Long period of silence.
"grand. you must have finally found something on tv." i say aloud, knowing she would deny channel surfing like a teenager.
"naw, ain't nothing on."
"okay. I'll call you in a couple of days. I'll let you look at t.v. and get some rest. I love you."
"I love you, too."
Dial tone.
FADE2BLACK
Dial tone.
Speed dial: 003.
Busy signal.
"she has to be the only person in the world without two way. she must be talking to Judy or Cindy. I better get in touch with her before she gets out for the day. I'll call in an hour." i say to myself..
I am distracted as I am looking at mindless reality television. On what appears to be a beautiful Saturday morning, I do not want to relive the terror of 9/11 which is dominant on all of the other stations.
Phone rings. I do not recognize the phone number. It is a 210 area code. It has to be someone in San Antonio.
"Hello?"
Dial tone
I redial the number which appeared on my caller ID.
"You have reached the voicemail of James Beli...."
Dial tone
Redial
"You have reached the voicemail of James Be...."
Dial tone
Redial
"You have reached the voicemail of Ja...."
Dial tone.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
"Hello."
"Kim?"
"Yea James, wazup?"
"Kim, it's Grand. She passed away this morning....My momma and Jada...."
Dial tone.
FADE2BLACK
Dial tone
Speed Dial: 003
RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG...
"ma-ga-reet"
RRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG...
"grand? watchaduin? I just wanted to talk....."
FADE2BLACK