voicemail box
photo by navya shukla
voicemail box
third-year claire d’agostino
Please leave your message after the tone…
[Beeeeeep.]
Uhhh hey. How are you? This is dumb, and I probably could’ve just texted you. I just wanted to update you on life, and I guess it’s been a while since I last heard your voice. Or saw you. I don’t know. Ugh, sorry…I’m rambling. Well, I got into grad school, I’m moving across the country in a few weeks. It doesn’t even feel real. Oh, I almost forgot! Remember my cousin Jen? She finally got married. Can you believe they dated for eight years before he proposed? Well…call me back if you get this? I miss you.
[Beeeeeep.]
Hey, I can’t believe it’s been so long since we last talked. I feel like we only communicate anymore through Instagram comments and ‘happy birthday’ texts. Sorry I missed your call, I’m still working as the manager at my mom’s business. Anyways…I’m so proud of you for getting into grad school. I always knew you would be the one to make it out of our town. And Jen? I remember when we were sixteen and she said “I’m gonna marry that man one day.” Ha! Jokes on us, we never believed her, but it took him long enough. Oh, sorry, I gotta go. Call me soon.
[Beeeeeep.]
Now we’re really playing phone tag. How’s your mom? Tell her I miss her cooking. God, I haven’t seen her in forever. I can’t believe how fast the time went by. Honestly, I can’t believe how fast we grew up. I miss singing karaoke in the car rides after school and going to the gas station to get slushies. I hate that I stopped calling you ‘my best friend’ and started calling you ‘my highschool best friend’ when I went to college. Anyways, I’m rambling again. I wanna see you before I leave.
[Beeeeeep.]
Okay, we need to actually pick up each other’s calls this time. I don’t know how we keep missing each other. Also, stop apologizing for rambling. You’re literally going to your grad program for English and—
[Receiver clicks]
“Hello?”
“Oh hey! I guess our game of phone tag is finally over?”
“Finally. Do you still have RaceTrac rewards? We can get our daily free slushie.”
And when we are in the car again—sunshine beaming through the windows and half-melted blue raspberry slushies in hand—it’s like nothing has ever changed. It feels like eternally, we are sophomores in high school.