Hannah raced round the room, organizing streamers and placing balloons in certain strategic places. She turned on the TV, changing the channel to a marathon of Scooby Doo at a reasonable volume before turning it off, remote placed in the center of the couch for easy access. She stood on a chair and fixed the ‘Welcome Home!’ banner above the kitchen before checking to make sure the cake was still cooking. She looked in the fridge, seeing there was plenty of milk, water, crackers, ham, cheeses, grapes, and a multitude of sodas before realizing she needed some sort of chocolate. She wrote it down on a slip of paper, posted it to the door, and then rushed to the guest bedroom. There were a lot more streamers and balloons in there, the overhead light rigged up as a disco ball to finish the party scene. A small Yoda statue sat in a corner next to the bed and a bicycle with a bow was leaning against the closet. Hannah took a breath and nodded, content wit the set up. Tears welled in her eyes as she quietly closed the door, hoping Mark would feel the same way.
She rushed back in to the kitchen to check the cake again. The timer said it had another 20 minutes left. Hannah looked at the clock on the wall. The time said she had 35 minutes before Mark arrived. She smiled, deciding to take a quick shower. She wanted to look nice before he got there.
As she enjoyed the hot water and alone time, her phone rang twice. On the third time, she heard the final notes of the ring before it died and the voice recorder kicked in.
“You have reached Hannah Smith. I’m not at the phone right now, but if you leave a message I will call you back ASAP! OK? Have a happy!”
She smiled, always a fan of her voicemail. It brightened her day and usually others too. She stepped out of the shower, wrapped a towel around her hair and body before deciding which hair brush to use when she heard the message being played.
“…traffic is a nightmare. He can stay here tonight, maybe tomorrow, and then I’ll take him out…”
Hannah frowned. That sounded like her ex. But why would he call? She quickly dried her hair as best as possible, running a brush through it twice before jumping out into the living room. The room was cold, the seasons changing as the air nipped at her still wet toes. She left light splotches of water as she carefully maneuvered to the machine. It blinked periodically, indicating someone wanted her attention at some point in time. She clicked the play button and listened as the tape rewound, sounding like a sped up, high pitched chase. It took a second to play, but yet it played.
“Hannah, it’s Tony. Look, I tried reaching you but you’re obviously out. You really need to get a cell-phone, it makes life so much easier.”
Hannah wrinkled her nose. It was her ex.
“Anyway, I was calling to say I can’t bring the kid over today. I’m bogged down with work, I’m actually about to go to a meeting with a CEO for a merger. By the time I get out, it’ll be really late. Besides, that late traffic is a nightmare. He can stay here tonight, maybe tomorrow, and then I’ll take him out to yours in the morning. Call me back when you can.”
Hannah just stared at the recorder. She couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t believe Tony would do this. She picked up the phone and dialed him again. No response. She called him again. Still no response. She called him again, her fingers shaking as she hit the buttons. Straight to voicemail. Hannah let out a suppressed scream as she let the phone fall to the floor, her ex’s voice still talking in his usual monotone. Tears forming in her eyes, she looked around the room. At the amazing banners hanging from the ceiling, the balloons crowding air space in multiple colors, the mountain bike waiting patiently in the other room while the air filled with the smell of cake. She sniffed, thinking that these would hang there for another two days. Two days too late.
She got up, wiping away the streaks of water down her face and blew her nose. She looked back at the phone, wondering if she should try again. But then she thought of her neighbors, about using their phone. The new number would surprise Tony, he’d pick up. Think it was an important client, a potential money transaction. Hannah nodded, convinced her new plan sounded feasible. She quickly changed, ignoring her still wet hair and charged out the front door.
Her room was 8 on the third floor. She looked across to the other building to see another woman standing there, admiring the sunset. But Hannah didn’t have time to watch tourists gawk. The thought crossed her mind of approaching the manager with the subject, but that would waste time. She looked left and right, toward the 2 other rooms her floor. She didn’t know if anyone was in 7. She quickly walked to 9, biting her lip to avoid breaking down again. She knocked on the door, hoping someone would notice. She heard silence on the other end. She glanced around, wondering if someone would see and help.
“Please, I know you’re in there. I need help!” Hannah yelled toward the door, actually believing someone was in there. There was no evidence to support the matter, she had never seen her neighbors. She simply knew the room was occupied. She just needed someone to be there. “Please, can you let me in?” She said again, her faith waning. She was about to move on, her spirits lowered, when the door opened. A pale man wearing a vest and a cigarette shoved in his mouth quietly opened the door, mystified by this visitor.
“Hi! Sorry to be trouble but I really need to borrow your phone,” Hannah said, motioning inside and smiling slightly. The man moved aside, inviting her in without saying a word. She thanked him, entered, and the door closed all within thirty seconds.
No one ever saw Hannah again. The balloons wilted, the bike went unused, the cake burned. Tony never saw his ex-wife again. And neither did her son.