Black Coffee and Grey Stories

The loud ring of the phone shocks her resilient heart to reality. Daydreaming is a curse. The woman knows it is him; she has been expecting his call. But, after all these years, if it is not the one she has yearned for, was it all worth any then? Her heart doesn’t skip any beats, assuring her that she is still alive.

It is finally time to slow down and accept the race is over. The woman just needs to catch her breath. The phone is ringing louder and louder; mobile phones do that now. They announce their arrival with a soft nudge and then poke the life right out of you.

This story is about a woman, not a girl; life is fragile and not a road to adventures. She has lived and lost, survived, and thrived. Whatever the world did not have elsewhere to throw was endured by this one.

The phone still rings, waiting to be acknowledged. It is time the woman accepts the truth, the one she has been hiding behind the veil of the journey called life. Her fingers touch and slide the phone into silence, only to announce his voice, “Hello!” Her heart skips multiple beats now. Her cardiologist will not be happy with this moment. The cheerful voice unveils her excitement. “Hey!”

“How are you doing?” she is still capable of talking.

“Long time!” he continues.

“Yes, it has been a while. I have grey hair now.” Her joke lands right, and he laughs.  

“Me too!”

“But I am still younger than you.”

“Hahahahaa! Yeah, right!”

His laugh is all that it takes to calm her down. Her cardiologist will be offended. And might even lose a patient if this conversation becomes a routine.

“So, did you get my invitation? I hope you can make it.” He sounds the same as he did decades ago.  

“Yes, I did. Thank you for inviting me. But I don’t think I can make it tonight.” Her confident voice surprises her, and then she remembers years of experience in sales.

“Oh, I would have liked it if you had come. But, you know the past doesn’t matter. We are not teenagers anymore. If that is what you are worried about.” She can sense his eagerness now.

“No, I am not.” Even she is not convinced by the answer. “Yet, I think it will become the talk of the whole town.” She hates her voice and the words.

“You do know we are not that famous. No one cares. Hell, I don’t even care. Do you?”

“Honestly, I don’t. I just wanted to make sure that you didn’t.”

“So, you will be there tonight? Do you want me to send a car?”

“Oh no, I can see in the night. I mean, I can drive myself to the venue. I have the address.”  

“Great, so I will see you then.”

She embraces her calm heart, remembering the times his voice had that effect on her anxious mind.

She is smiling and almost giggling with her replies.

“I hope you serve wine and not just bourbon at your parties.”

“Oh, there will be wine. Which one do you prefer? So that I know what to serve when you are here.”

“Hahahahah! I am only kidding. Any red wine will do. I am not that picky.”

“I remember that about you.”

“Hmmm!”Is all she can utter until..

“So, I will see you soon then.”

The woman turns around, looking straight at the open doors of her very well-kept closet. Her thoughts fall on the grey tee and multicolored sweater when she says,

“Yup, see you then. Love you!”

The line clicks her into blushes of red and sweat, wondering what happened to years of working in Sales where you never said what you really, truly, badly, wanted to scream.