As soon as it took it out of his pocket it stopped vibrating. It started again immediately. 555.313.2860. I walked into the bathroom where he was shaving and stuck my hand out with the vibrating phone. 555.313.2860.
"You phone is ringing."
He looks at me then at it and rinsed off his razer under the running water. He then dried his hands on the towel around this neck and took the phone from me. Looked at the number and put it on the countertop.
"Why are you messing with my phone?
"I wasn't messing with your phone. Your pocket started buzzing so I brought it to you."
"You have been bugging about this damn phone for weeks now so of course you were looking for it!"
"Excuse you...I wasn't looking for a damn thing. Hell I don't have to look for it. It's always in your truck and I want to know why? And...I want to know who was calling."
The phone starts vibrating again. I can't see the phone but I've already memorized the number 555.313.2680.
"It's nobody. Nothing important."
"If it's nobody or nothing important...then it shouldn't be a big deal telling me who it is."
"Mia...just drop it please! Everything is going good and you looking for shit. Well there is nothing to look for okay? Just let it go."
"I'm not stupid JJ. I know that some woman is calling your phone and I want to know who she is and why she's calling."
"DAMMIT MIA. I'M TELLING YOU IT'S NOTHING AND I AM NOT HAVING THIS CONVERSATION WITH YOU! AND DON'T FUG WITH MY PHONE OKAY? THAT'S MY BUSINESS!
"Fool you have lost your damn mind yelling at me in my damn house! You the one smelling all foul and trying to put some shit on me to remove the blame. Well dammit...it's not going down like that!"
"You know what Mia. You always push and push. You just take shit too far. I have told you it's nothing...but you just can't let it go. You can't trust me huh? Man...I tell you...."
"Tell me what JJ? TELL ME WHAT? That you are obviously out there fuggin around playing me for the fool?"
"WHEN IN THE HELL HAVE I HAD TIME SINCE WE'VE BEEN BACK TOGETHER TO FUG AROUND MIA? I GO TO WORK! I COME HOME...TO YOU! I'M ALWAYS WITH YOU! WHEN HAVE I HAD TIME!"
"THERE YOU GO YELLING IN MY DAMN HOUSE AGAIN AND I HAVE TOLD YOU IT'S NOT GOING DOWN LIKE THAT!"
"YOU'RE RIGHT! YOU'RE AB-SO-FUGGIN-LUTELY RIGHT! I'm getting the hell up out of here because it's obvious you won't let this shit go and are looking for a fight!"
He grabs the phone and goes into the bedroom. I follow closely on his heels.
"JJ...I want to know what's going on. What are you hiding from me?"
No answer.
"JJ...I KNOW YOU HEAR ME."
The phone starts vibrating again from the bed where he'd put it while yanking on his clothes. We both looked at it and I reach for it. He grabbed it before I could and hurled it across the room where it broke apart upon impact with the wall.
My mouth dropped wide open as I'd never seen this kind of anger from him and frankly, I didn't know what to do or say. My mama ain't raised not fool so I stood stock still keeping one eye on the distance between me and the lamp. JJ had never, in all the years we've been together, put his hands on me...but he'd never thrown phones across the room either.
He grabbed his keys and left. And I stood there and watched him go and then the hot, angry tears started and I couldn't stop. HOW DARE HE!
I wanted my mother. No...couldn't tell her. I wanted my sister... so I picked up the cordless phone to call her and pressed the redial button without engaging the phone. 5556321828*626899799.
JJ's cell phone number, and, apparently the code to his voicemail followed by the saving of 4 messages and the deleting of one. I had the code to his phone. To the phone that he'd been keeping hidden from me.
