The voice sounded so mature.
"Hello!"
I had just walked into the house and past the room where we welcome overnight guests, when a voice trailed after me.
"I'm sorry, I can't take your call right now. Please leave a message at the beep, and I will return your call as soon as possible."
Of course, I recognize this voice as it follows me on my quest for a lunch of last night's leftovers.
My son. Sounding like a radio announcer, all smooth and silky, was replacing the outgoing message on his phone as he cuddled up with the dog on the guest bed sofa sleeper.
But something sounds off.
He notices, too.
"Hello! I'm sorry, I can't take your call right now, but please leave a message at the beep and I will get back to you soon."
Still wrong.
“Hello! I am sorry to miss your call. Leave a message at the beep. and I will get back to you.
I stood there without speaking, salvaged salad in hand, and just looked at the two of them for a while. Her graying muzzle rested on the crook of his knee as he scratched between her ears. She groaned softly has he repeated the takes.
A lump swelled in my throat at the nostalgia before my heart sank.
"HELL-o … "
I wasn't prepared for the effrontery of this new baritone boy erasing his predecessor's froggy-throated message delivered via prank ....
"Hello? ...."
And in the the moment of hesitation after the question mark's lift, I would forge ahead with my assuage until ..
"Ahhhhhhhm not here! Leave a message and I'll call ya back!"
It got me every single time.
Except now that little scoundrel was gone. Replaced by a new, more mature boy who was in possession of a piece of blue card stock, which permitted access to entry-level employment of limited scope during the summer.
This new boy intuitively knew the old boy's sophmoric snark might limit his opportunities further.
Of course, staring too long at your teenage son, is a known antidote his aspirational suave. He begins to squirm under the scrutiny.
His serious demeanor dissolves and he crosses his eyes and hopes I'll disappear.
Maturity isn't here full time just yet.
I look away … only to get another surprise:
A table lamp is lying on the floor, and next to it are the cordless phone and a small framed photo. The trio must have gathered each other up for companionship upon descent.
"Hello! What happened here?"
"Oh! There was a commotion between the dog and cat before. I didn't really pay much attention. Must have been one of them that knocked everything over."
So much for trees falling in forests, not getting heard.
As I suspected, it doesn't matter much if you heard it falling or not. The tree is still down, and the hikers are just going to walk around it until there's a new path to follow.
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