The bugle has sounded...

Earth-Done Dace

written by Damian Hospital

Part I

The cell phone rang at 2:45PM on a gloomy Sunday afternoon.

Dace was lying on his air mattress, with three pillows supporting his baldhead. The shades were drawn. He was listening to the Yankees game on the radio with his eyes closed, transporting himself to Yankee Stadium among the crowd of 53,000 people.

Instinctively, he quickly put on his spectacles and reached over to the floor and looked at the caller ID.

It read, “BARBARA”.

Without a second thought -- without a split second’s hesitation -- he pressed the button to stop the ringing and send the message to oblivion.

He placed his glasses at the other side of the queen-sized air mattress and closed his eyes again, listening to the radio.

An insane grin almost was visible. If there were any lights in his room, perhaps it would have been apparent.

There was a time when Dace would have accepted the phone call.

There was a time when Dace would feel regret for not picking it up.

There was a time when Dace used to hope that Barbara would call.

Not anymore.

There may exist alternate realities -- multiple earths where every possible course of action exists. By not picking up the phone, Dace stood course in his own little world.

(It is a world without hope, future, dreams, and lasting happiness. It is a private reality that he begrudgingly weaved -- to deaden the deep disappointment that permeates his spirit. He used to be a super-hero. He used to be somebody special. Now, he is a soulless husk of flesh, which has given up trying to change his life or the lives of others. He has lost faith in humanity, society, and his own will.)

(But that is his choice, and no one should judge him for his course of action. He manages his stress levels, he can remain calm, and his intelligence and cognitive abilities are as high as they ever have been. His desires have finally been vanquished; he no longer wants because he knows he will not have. )

In his mind, Barbara had made a fool out of him -- twice. But there is no altruistic sense of forgiveness in his heart any longer. If she was looking for that, she was wasting her time, her thought.

What could she have wanted?

Would she have told Dace how she is angry with Pablo again?

Would she have retold her tragic tale of living in hell?

Would she ask to meet and talk about things?

Would she just say “hello”?

Or was it even she?

Perhaps it was her boyfriend Pablo calling Dace to rub it in -- the fact that she decided to make it work between them, and not give Dace the chance?

Maybe she accidentally dialed the wrong number, Dace reached.

He had no regrets. She was steadfast in her decision: She would live with Pablo and work things out -- try to reform him. But there was a second condition: She would not speak to Dace anymore. He would be shut out -- stamped out of her life because she had deep feelings for him. These feelings endangered her world.

And Dace accepted that, just like he accepts all of the insanity in this chaotic universe -- the Big Lie that is reality.

The melodrama, the competition, the desire, the drive to Miami, the strong feelings, the sexual tension, and the deep conversations clearly mean nothing to him anymore.

Fantasies began to dance through his head. He literally had not thought about Barbara at all in two weeks. That realization surprised him. But now the fantasies crept in. Little motion pictures played out in his imagination.

It started with her being in his apartment and ended with them holding each other, drenched in sweat, with her head resting upon his chest.

At 3:39 PM the phone rang again.

Dace put on his glasses even though he knew who it was.

“BARBARA”.

He looked at the phone and shut it off after the third ring.

He took off his glasses and plumped back onto his air mattress, enjoying the rest of the baseball game.

***

Part II

Barbara tried calling Dace on a damp and grey Sunday afternoon. Pablo had taken the kids to West Palm Beach for a birthday party, and she knew she would be alone in the house the whole day. She would have an opportunity to call her ideal man, Dace.

Barbara became very excited and anxious as she dialed the numbers of the man whom she had shut out of her life last month. But Dace was always understanding, and had patience with her seemingly confusing decisions.

She got his recording and hung up the phone.

Many thoughts raced through her head.

Did he decide not to pick up?

Does he have a girlfriend?

If he did pick up, should I tell him that I broke up with Pablo?

I’ll call back later.

Barbara had just about given up trying to sustain her relationship with Pablo. They hardly spoke to each other anymore. He was insensitive to her feelings. She hoped that within a few months with him hanging out with his buddies more, that Pablo would find someone and let Barbara live her own life.

Barbara does not have any friends anymore. Pablo is constantly in the house, and does not allow her to lead a “normal” life. She wanted to take the only opportunity she had to call Dace and tell him the good news…or at least say “hello”.

She called back and once again received the answering machine.

I wonder if he sees my number on his cell phone?

Where is he? The weather is horrible outside.

What if he found someone else?

What if he thinks I’m a loser when I tell him I broke up with Pablo…again?

Will he even talk to me?

Should I even tell him about Pablo?

I just want to hear his voice…to know that he’s all right.

Barbara began to second-guess herself for calling Dace’s number. The last time, Pablo got Dace’s number off the phone records and called him up and started threatening him. Pablo went crazy that night. But she felt lonely, and needed to speak with Dace. She hoped that Pablo would not check the phone number that she dialed today.

Barbara was cleaning her house, wearing an oversized t-shirt and leopard panties. She could not stop thinking about Dace. He was the only one who did not think she was weird or crazy. He shared the same belief system with her. He was a friend.

Barbara called back two more times that evening, but Dace’s line was not answering.

I lost him, she sobbed.

Pablo pulled up in the car with the kids at 9:30PM. She heard the vehicle in the driveway. She quickly hung up the phone. Her last attempt trying to contact Dace was a failure, and she was beginning to think her whole life was one big failure.

Unfortunately, she did not hear Dace’s voice answer the phone before she hung up.