Chapter Text
You can hear coins being slotted, being replaced by the ringing of the phone immediately after.
“Hey, Manon!- I know you said we should.. take a break and all- but I was thinking maybe we could get dinner somewhere. Your choice! I wanted to say sorry and-”
“Your call could not be connected. Please call again or try again later. Good bye.”
Silence. You can hear the same noise after some time.
“Hey, Manon? Hi, I tried calling earlier but I don’t think you were at the phone, I was wondering if you wanted to get dinner. Super casual, but we could go anywhere you want, money’s no problem for me, so-”
“Your call could not be connected. Please call again or try again later. Good bye.”
An uneasy silence. The cycle continues.
“Manon? Hello?- I need to know if you’d want anything- to eat. to eat anything. I want to get dinner with you, if it’s alright-”
“Your call could not be connected. Please call again or try again later.”
The silence was unbearable. Everything seemed to be falling apart, just because silence ensued. Break the silence. Do anything to break the silence.
“Listen I- Forget the dinner, can I- Can I just hear your voice? You haven’t picked up a phone even once the past week and I’m- I just need to know you’re there-”
It’s back.
“Good bye.”
It shouldn’t have been broken. If silence ensues, it should be left alone. Making noise just makes things worse.
The ringing continues, breaking the silence sporadically. It results in flickers of hope- only to be replaced by despair when it comes back tenfold. It repeats over and over again, in a dance of faith and desperation, where desperation takes over every time. The silence was destructive. It didn't just cause everything to fall apart, it also grounded it into a pile of nothing, pure dust, which was an unidentifiable form of something it was once of. Nothing was left.
The coins stop being spilled. They’re all gone. Silence won. Again.
Rody looks at his wallet in disbelief. He runs his finger across every crook and cranny of it- and when he pulls it out, he meets dust. The silence was causing his heart to fall apart. He didn't need to be a person from the baroque period to know exactly what horror vacui was. The absence of coins saved him, but from what?
Rody leaves the booth. He doesn't know where he’s going, and it doesn’t matter. Nothing matters. “Why?” was the only word playing in his mind. “Why wasn’t she picking up?” He knew the reason- of course he knew it. He just didn’t want to acknowledge it. She left him- said that he wasn’t ready for a relationship. After all he did, she just left him like that? That was the problem. “It’s too much…” she said. He did too much, and that ruined his life, just because he wanted to make hers a lot better.
Rody looked at his wallet again. The coins were gone, but that doesn’t mean the money was. He was going to spend it all on her- so what will he do now? He didn’t think about it before. Rody believed with his entire being, that even though she didn’t pick up during this week, and the one before, and the one before that, she would pick up today, after he reached his goal of earning enough money. He felt stupid.
He could use the money on fixing his bathroom… But then what? Rody quit his job, and lost touch with Manon. He had nothing left.
No. He could still come back. The position was still available, that’s what Vince told him. He could come back, right? Vince couldn’t possibly have found anyone in… An hour? Two? Rody didn’t even know how long he even stayed in the telephone booth.
His throat constricted painfully. His heart dropped. “Not now-” He thought to himself. It didn’t work at all. Suddenly he snapped out of his state, grabbed his bike, put the wallet in the pocket of his pants, and set off. Rody knew what he had to do now- go back home, and call Vince. Rody’s mind was set on only one thing, he just had to go and call Vince. He had to try. He biked as fast as he could- his legs were screaming for him to slow down, but he didn’t. He only slowed down when he stepped foot into his place. He dropped the bike on the ground, in the middle of the room, and went to sit on the couch. He bent over, reaching for the receiver, only to recoil. He held his elbows on his knees, staring at the phone. What if it wasn't a good idea? What if Vince got mad at him? He wouldn’t, right? But he was going to call him in the middle of the night, asking for the same job he had left the same day. Vince can be pretty nasty sometimes- being violent, rude. Even though he was nice to Rody, giving him the leftovers or letting Rody talk to him when he was still working, he can still have his moments.
Rody dropped his head onto his hands- the feeling in his throat came back. Jesus, why was he like this? Nothing happened yet, he was going to call Vince. But what if it doesn’t work? If Vince doesn’t take him back, he’ll be done. Rody has worked in 28 service industry jobs. If Vince doesn’t take him back, the number will go up to 29. With that number, he won’t be able to find any more jobs. If Vince doesn’t take him back, no one will consider giving him another chance.
His throat stays clenched. His stomach hurts. Rody is tired of the silence. He decides to call again- for the millionth time this day, and it just might be his last. If he fails in breaking the silence properly again, it will break him apart, just like everything it did today.
. . .
Vince was sitting in his living room, waiting patiently. He knew what was going to happen. And as he predicted, it did. His phone started ringing, the only thing he did not predict was how long it was going to take. He brought his phone into the living room for this special occasion, it usually stayed hidden, but this was urgent. He didn’t expect Rody to leave like that. He told him that he would stay for two weeks, but he randomly came to Vince after work to unceremoniously declare his departure. It shocked him. To the core. He prepared a special dish for Rody on that day, and he just had to leave. When Vince picked up the phone, he was met with a strained, uncharacteristically panicky voice of the very person he was expecting to get a call from.
“Vince? Are… Are you there?” He barely got the words out.
“... I am, Rody.” Vincent heard a sigh from the other side of the receiver. The next time Rody talked, he was a bit calmer, but still not quite himself.
“Listen Vince I’m… sorry about leaving the job. I know i shouldn’t have called- es-especially this late at night- but i wanted to ask whether… you know, the job.. was.. available..” The strained voice came back. It sounded like Rody was on the verge of tears, sounded like as if he said a word more, he would explode.
Vince sighs.
“Yes, It is available. I don’t know how you could possibly have suggested that i’ve found another waiter in a couple of hour-”
“I know! I know i just… wanted to make sure. That’s all.” He sounds hopeful.
“You can start working again on monday. However, if you don’t show up, or if you pull the same shit again, i will not even think about taking you back. Understood?”
“Yes! Understood! Thank you so much Vince!”
Vince put the receiver back in it’s place. It’s almost surprising how someone could go from being in a state of absolute misery and desperation into being as excited as a small puppy. At least he got his waiter back. Vince took the phone back into the cabinet of his bedroom.
. . .
Rody put down the receiver as well. Maybe breaking the silence momentarily was worth it after all. Now he sits in a silence as comfortable as the softest bed in existence, embracing him and relieving all of his tired limbs. His head returned to his hands, having them massage his eyes. His face was scrunching up, and he felt a wave of something, hitting something in his head. He sobbed.