And then… a miracle. Someone picked up.
From the other end of the invisible wire (what wire? It's cordless!), came that voice: – Hello. This is the Bingles residence. Goodbye.
Wow. That was abrupt. The line zipped through the room so fast Erich didn't even realize he was talking to an answering machine. Otherwise, he'd have left a greeting—and then felt like the biggest jackass in the entire Kingdom of Jackasses.
Still, the prize was practically in the bag—or rather, in the receiver. He had heard her voice. A bit older now, but still with that slight squeak she'd inherited from her mom. Years of hope condensed into this moment, and now he was so close to reaching her.
His high-energy soul refused to sit still. Erich launched into another victory sprint around the room,
M.K. bounding behind him, hyped for what he assumed was some new kind of cardio game. They ran, they spun, and they flopped. An hour—maybe more—passed before Erich tried again.
And this time, it worked.
I'm – came a dry voice. But that meant nothing—she didn't know who was on the line yet! Nibi, it's you! No way! Is it really you?! – Erich fired off, his voice tripping over itself with excitement. M.K. barked right into the receiver to add his two cents.
Depends who's asking… – her voice stayed – And could you please turn your dog down? I don't have a remote for Volume's stuck on max. – Erich admitted, then tried to boost his case with the obvious:
Nibi, come on! It's me—Erich! You remember me, right?
Silence. His heart dropped, punched through the floor, and landed in the neighbor's living room downstairs—neighbors who already weren't big fans of the Rosario household (Erich was oddly proud of his last name).
He hated silence in conversations. It made him feel like the connection—the connection—was lost forever.
Are you there? Why aren't you saying anything? – He asked Then she answered:
Sorry, but I don't know any
It's not -any. Just one! Just the one And you know him. Look, I fell for your "I'm a dog- routine" once, but I'm not falling for it again. You have gotten smarter. – She replied thoughtfully. – Not quite the donkey you used to be.
That's exactly what I called myself earlier when I nearly said -hi- to your answering machine. – The boy grinned, and from the sound of it, the girl on the other side of Chicago might've smiled too. Honestly, I didn't expect to hear from you after all this Weren't you living in France or something?
Erich launched into his explanation:
No, no! I told you—I'm from the Just like you. We moved back here full-time, and I'm starting school soon. I'll tell you everything in person. When can we meet? Just like that? After all these years, you call out of nowhere—no hello, no nothing—and you wanna meet already? You related to Flash or something?
Her sarcastic tone threw off his momentum. He scrambled to recover:
Hey, I did say And the reason I wanna meet right away is... well, why waste time? I've been looking for you for years. I'm not about to wait again. Come on—you want to see me too, right? Actually, no…
What?! – The boy gasped, genuinely
That's – She drove the nail in. – I wasn't looking. In fact, I kinda forgot you even existed.
That kind of statement would knock most people flat. But Erich didn't know the meaning of - crushed.-
I'll be at Clark Street in an Let's meet by Three Dots and a Dash. It's a nice bar, right?
I wouldn't I don't go to bars.
Me – He said, and then hung up without saying goodbye. And went to get ready.
Inside him, there was no doubt: Nibi would show up. This was the start of something. A new chapter. A new pulse in their shared story. And it wasn't just him hoping for it.
Right, buddy? – He looked at M.K. – You wanna hug—or in your case, sniff—Nibi again, don't you?
Of course! The fluffy buddy wagged his tail, his eyes the most honest and loyal in the world, clearly agreeing with everything just said.
Exactly one hour later, Erich stood at the address he himself had given, bundled up in his parka, debating whether to pull up the hood. It was one of those damp, bone-chilling autumns that squeeze every last drop of summer outta you. The icy wind wasn't just chasing leaves down this busy Chicago street—it was chasing people too, hurrying them into bars and cafés where they could warm up with something strong.
The boy watched them with understanding, brushing curls from his face as the wind kept throwing them into his eyes. He didn't drink, and he didn't wanna start some stupid habit like that. Honestly, he'd only smoked weed twice—even though there was plenty of it back at the farm—and that was here in the city. He kinda liked the floaty feeling, but smoking solo wasn't his thing. That was for hanging out with someone… when he finally got another friend besides M.K.
And the one who might've qualified for that high honor sure wasn't in a rush to claim it. It had already been thirty-five minutes past the agreed time—well, agreed in his mind, since Nibi never really said -yes-—and now he was just confused. What did he mess up?
Why wasn't she coming?! Didn't she want to have some fun?!
That single powerful argument must've reached the cosmos, 'cause someone coughed behind him. Erich slowly turned, his insides locking up as he soaked in the melodrama of the moment. Only thing missing was some rain and a saxophone solo—unfortunately, he couldn't play. When he opened his eyes, all he saw was a red-faced man in just a sweater and slacks, who'd clearly just stumbled outta a bar. Clutching a cigarette and squinting at the kid, the guy asked:
Bro, got a light? I'm dying for a
Don't smoke. – Erich shook his head and stepped a bit to the side, trying to get back into his - waiting-for-Nibi- vibe. M.K., who'd been loyally hanging nearby this whole time, gave him a sad little look like, -Buddy, how long we gonna be out here?- But the waiting didn't last much Well, hey Sorry I'm late. – The girl in the beige coat and a cream hat with an outrageously wide brim gave him a nod. – Though honestly, why am I even apologizing? You don't really give people the chance to say yes or no, you just call, say a time, and hang up. Not exactly an invite.
Hugs!