The door opened, and Ben shuffled in. He tossed his backpack against the wall and slammed the door, all in one swift motion. It had been another crapy day at school.
…
As he walked past the hall table, the phone rang. Something made Ben stop and ponder whether he should pick up, or let someone else get it. It rang again and Ben listened for the sound of his mom or sister answering. By the third ring, it was clear no one was going to get it. Maybe no one was home. What did he care? It probably wasn’t even for him. He never gets phone calls. Or mail, for that matter. Ben proceeded down the hall to the kitchen. The fourth ring came as he opened the fridge and retrieved a drink. He wasn’t paying any more attention to it. “If it’s important, they’ll leave a message,” his mother always said. Ben’s older sister hated not knowing who was calling. Mealtime was family time, and no one was allowed to answer the phone if it rang. It drove Melissa crazy to hear the phone ring and not do anything about it! During the fifth ring, Ben opened the pantry and grabbed a foil package of Pop Tarts. He walked into the family room and plopped down on the couch just as the sixth, and last, ring sounded. He grabbed the remote and turned the T.V. on. As he flipped through the channels, he took a huge bite of untested Pop Tart. The phone rang. With a mouth full of Pop Tart, Ben turned. An eighth ring sounded. The answering machine usually picked up after six rings. Maybe it had been turned off Ben wondered. It rang again. He sighed, swallowed the Pop Tart, and got up. Whoever was calling was persistent. The phone rang twice while Ben lumbered over to it. He stood for a moment looking at the archaic device. … It rang again, then he picked up.
He put the receiver to his ear and paused for a second before saying anything. “Hello?” Ben heard the familiar static sound of currents moving through wires over long distances. He thought he also heard breathing but wasn’t sure. “Hello?” he asked again, getting a little irritated. The last thing he needed today was a prank call from those jerks at school. “Ben? Hello, Ben?” It wasn’t anyone from school. It was a man, an older man. Something sounded a bit familiar. “Who is this?” Ben demanded. When the voice on the other end spoke, it was sharp and clear; the static had subsided. “Ah, Ben, ya sound so much older! I know it’s been a while since we last saw each other, and I’m sorry about that. I’m glad I was finally able to call ya. How ya been, Kiddaroo?” Ben’s eyes grew wide and his heart stopped as he finally placed the familiar voice. Only one person ever called him “Kiddaroo”: Grandpa. The breath had gone from him, and his words were fluttery. “Gra- Grandpa?” “Yes?” came the cheery voice on the other end. Ben didn’t know what to say. Didn’t this strange man know that Grandpa died when Ben was 6? This was definitely a bad joke, and Ben grew angry at the thought that someone, an adult, would be so heartless to a kid. He was about to tell the old man off when the familiar voice spoke. “Ben? I know you’ve been going through a rough patch lately. Your dad’s been scarce, and seems pre-occupied. Your mom, bless her heart, doesn't know how to deal with your sister’s angst. And she doesn’t know how to talk to you about your troubles. Her way of dealing with things is to force it into being alright by acting like it’s alright.” How does this man know all this?! How could he possibly know?! And he speaks with such insight that only family members could understand! Ben opened his mouth, but nothing came out. The voice continued, “And then there’s those kids at school. Not making things any better for ya. Worse, actually. Nothing like throwing a little lighter fluid on the campfire!” A little sound geeked out of Ben. His eyes welled up with tears and his heart began racing. That was a famous saying of Grandpa’s. Originally said about a specific camping trip, it had become somewhat of a family motto. It always seemed to be appropriate for any moment; and it was just one of many sayings Grandpa was famous for. True that other people outside of the family have heard Grandpa’s sayings, but the way this voice said it…. Ben decided to listen to the old man. He tried to shush the rambling thoughts in his head that were trying to logicalize the person on the phone.
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