| Hello? |
| Dan? Is that you? |
| Who... hello? |
| Dan... it's me, Jessica. |
| Jessica... .... .... ugh... what time is it? |
| Dan, I need to talk. |
| It's four-thirty. |
| I know and I am sorry. Believe me I didn't want to wake you, but... |
| What's going on Jessie? |
| I'm depressed. |
| ... ... ... you're depressed? |
| Yeah. |
| Well, okay. Why did you call me? We hardly know each other. |
| Well... I don't know... you were always nice to me in class and... I didn't want to talk to my mom. |
| What about your friends? I see you with Sarah and that other chick in class all the time. |
| Sarah is a bitch. |
| Whoa, okay. |
| I just don't feel like talking to them right now. They are always making fun of me. |
| Oh come on now. They are just playing, like all you people do. |
| What do you mean? |
| Well, you and all the other people in the class are always swearing and carrying on in class. It's no wonder Mr. Macintyre is always so cranky you know. |
| Hey, I didn't call for a lecture. |
| Yeah well... sorry. I just don't get why you'd call me. Where did you get my number anyway? |
| We traded when we were working on that group assignment in English, remember? |
| Oh yeah. Alright Jessie, you are depressed. |
| Yeah... |
| Well, what happened that made you feel so down you had to call me? |
| Don't be so sarcastic, will ya? |
| Alright, I'm sorry. Gees. |
| Look... you...� have you ever had a girlfriend? |
| What? |
| You've had girlfriends before right? |
| Well, yeah. Once. |
| What happened? |
| What does that mean? You dumped her? |
| No, no. She moved to University... I stayed here. Guess she just... does this have a point? |
| I got dumped today. |
| ... ... ... ... bummer. |
| Yeah... |
| You two get into a fight or something? |
| That asshole just told me that he didn't want anything to do with me anymore. He was just tired of me. |
| That's a bit harsh. |
| Yeah. What a dickhead huh? |
| Well, guys are like that. |
| Yeah but... we've been going out for close to a year now. Why would he... |
| Guys are just assholes. It's kind of a rule. |
| He just told me over the phone not to call him or talk to him anymore. I mean? what the hell do you call that? |
| Like I said, Jessie, guys are just assholes. |
| But... |
| Jessie... listen to me, please. I understand that you're probably really upset and all... |
| I've been dumped before you know. |
| Yeah? |
| Yes. I've dumped guys myself too. |
| I see. |
| I just... I don't know. You want me to let you go? |
| Jessie, maybe we could talk tomorrow. |
| But... I can't sleep. |
| Well neither can I at the moment. |
| Dan... please... |
| Ugh.... Alright. So why did he dump you? |
| I don't know. I think it was because he thought I was cheating on him. |
| Were you? |
| Hey, what kind of question is that? |
| Hey, I don't know you or your life, Jessie. For all I know... |
| Alright, alright. I wasn't sleeping with someone else. |
| That's not what I asked. |
| What? Yes it was... |
| I asked if you were cheating on him, not sleeping with someone else. |
| Isn't that the same thing? |
| Well yes, but you gotta understand that most people consider even something as simple as talking to someone else cheating. You're a woman, you should know this. |
| Very funny, Dan. |
| I'm just saying... so, any idea now why you got dumped? |
| I talk to other people. I wasn't aware that was a crime. |
| Guys can just be too defensive and paranoid sometimes. |
| Would you dump your girlfriend if she was just talking to other people? |
| Ye... well no. I mean... it depends on, you know, what they were talking about and so on. I don't think it's fair to flip out on a girl just for sharing notes or something like that. |
| Exactly! He's just being a dick! |
| Now hang on, that's not what I said. |
| I'm sorry. |
| *sigh* When was the last time you talked to him? |
| Yesterday. I wanted to talk to him, but he didn't want to talk to me. |
| Well, Jessie... I am not sure what I can do for you. People break up all the time... |
| You don't want to talk to me either. |
| Will you stop?! You're not listening! ... ... ... hello? ... ... ... .... hello? |
| Hello? |
| Dan? |
| Yeah. |
| Why did you hang up on me? |
| I just... |
| Listen... if you get a good night sleep, you'll be fine. It may take a while, but you will survive. Believe me. |
| Believe you? Your girlfriend dumped you, didn't she? |
| What does that mean? |
| Tell me about her. |
| ... ... ... Jessie... |
| Fine, I'll tell you about Jason. On our first date, he took me out to a bar and bought me every drink I had. |
| Sounds to me he had something in mind. |
| He did. Why do guys do that? |
| Do what? Buy women drinks? |
| No... they try to score on the first play, so to speak. |
| Cause they are guys. I thought I explained this. |
| You're funny. Would you do that? |
| Me? No. |
| Why not? |
| Why not? Cause... look what's with all the questions about me? |
| Sorry. I get that way sometimes. |
| Well... are you feeling better? |
| Not really, no. |
| I think you just have too much of Jason on your mind. You need to try and focus on something else. |
| I know. That's why I called you. |
| Yeah but all you have talked about is Jason. |
| That's why I asked you about your old girlfriend. |
| Yeah well, as much as you would like to know about her, I already do, and it's way too early in the morning for me to go marching through that old battlefield. |
| You two used to fight? |
| No, not really. |
| Not really? |
| Some people fight, some people just forgive and forget. |
| When was the last time you talked to her? |
| Usually when you break up with someone, the tendency is to stop talking to them. |
| Yeah, that's true. |
| So... what kind of music do you like? |
| What? |
| What kind of music do you like? |
| Well... uh. I like pretty much everything. |
| Come on. Everyone says that. What's your favorite band? |
| What station? |
| You got a favorite movie? |
| I just wish... I wish I could talk to him. |
| You don't want to do that. It will only upset you more. |
| How do you know? |
| You two will just end up getting all hostile towards each other again. Then you'll be calling more strangers from our class looking for comfort. |
| You're not helping. |
| Jessie, nobody deserves what you have been through, but that's life. You gotta understand that. |
| I do. |
| I think you have just grown so accustomed to him that you're having a bit of withdrawal. |
| Withdrawal. That's funny. |
| Well call it whatever. I still think that a tough cookie like you will have no problem putting him behind you in time. |
| Tough cookie? Asshole. |
| I rest my case. |
| If I wanted this shit happens deal with it trip, I would have talked to Sarah or my mom. |
| Let me ask you something, Jessie. When was the first time you broke up with someone? |
| You still are. |
| What's your point? |
| What happened when he broke up with you? |
| And how do you think he felt? |
| Yeah well... shit, I don't know. |
| Tomorrow is Friday. You go out often on Friday nights? |
| Jason and I used to. |
| Well, go out on your own. Go to a different bar or whatever and have a drink. |
| What are you doing tomorrow? |
| You asking me out now? |
| No. Just curious. |
| Oh. Well... probably nothing. I gotta work Saturday. |
| Where do you work? |
| I work at Laidlaw. |
| Laidlaw? What do you do? Office stuff? |
| Wow... that must be good work. |
| Good money... hard work. |
| Ah, you're a big guy. You can handle it. |
| Yeah, sure. |
| Well how about Sunday, you working then? |
| Surprisingly not. Weekends are usually busy. |
| So how about you come out and have a drink with me Saturday night? |
| I thought you weren't asking me out? |
| Jessie... come on. |
| What? |
| You just broke up. I think you should maybe just take it easy till you get this all sorted out in your head. |
| You think that just sitting around is going to help? |
| Come on. You are refusing to go out with me? |
| You can possibly deny that you've had a crush on me for a while now.. |
| I'm a guy, remember? Yes, you are pretty and all, but I still think that you're a bit too unstable at the moment. |
| Unstable! |
| Jessie, relax will you! |
| Why the hell did I call you? I wouldn't want to go out with you anyway. |
| Alright, you know what? I'm hanging up. |
| No wonder your girlfriend dumped you... |
| Goodbye Jessie. |
| Jessie? |
| Hello Dan. Yeah, it's me again. |
| Look, I really need to get some sleep. |
| I'm sorry. |
| No you are not. |
| Dan, please. |
| Oh Jesus Jessie, stop crying. |
| I didn't mean what I said before. |
| Uh huh. You've been drinking, haven't you? |
| I'm sorry. |
| Jessie... listen to me very carefully. I want you to go back to sleep, and I will talk to you tomorrow in class okay? |
| Are you angry with me? |
| You are a nice person, Dan. |
| You get some sleep alright? You will be okay. |
| I miss him. |
| I know you do. I miss her too. But we'll both get along fine, okay? |
| Okay. Thanks. |
| Well... I guess you could say I lost her. |
| Jessie? |
| Uh... I don't know. I usually listen to the radio. |
| Whatever's on. What has this got to... |
| *sigh* Alright, I get it. You want me to let you go? |
| I want you to stop worrying so much. You'll be fine. |
| That was years ago. Grade 11. I was going out, so to speak, with this stupid little kid named Greg. He was so rude, but hey... I was young. |
| Ha... he'd never have the guts to. I ditched him about a month after summer started that year. |
| What is this, a guilt trip now? |
| I'm just trying to say... this stuff happens all the time. |
| I am sure I could find office work somewhere a lot better than Laidlaw. I work in the wash bay. |
| Well, I wasn't. |
| I think that rushing to a perfect stranger after what you?ve been through would probably not end up positively. |
| Well... yes. |
| Just do as I say, okay? |
| Dan's Notes: A little bit of exparimentation on this one. I put myself in a lot of my writing, and this is basically a straight phone call dialog between myself and a factitious character named Jessica. I was pretty much just thinking up stuff for Jessica to say to me, and responding to it as I would have in real life, had such things actually been said to me. |
| This is my writing. If you want to rip it off, there really isn't much I can do to stop you, but you will be shunned in your next life. If you have something to say about it or want to comment, critisize, or question something, then head to the guest book and speak your mind there, or e-mail me personally. |
| My e-mail: [email protected] |
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| The Call (C) Copywritten 2003 |
| *** |
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