Tom, whilst on his lunch break at work, decided to call home and check in on his two favorite girls. So he picked up his cell phone and dialed home – but had to redial twice because his big fingers pressed the wrong buttons. But on the third try he was successful, and it started ringing.
“Hello?” A little girl answered
“Hey, honey! It’s Daddy. I’m just calling to check and see how my favorite girls are doing.”
“Good! Mommy is going to take me to lunch after Uncle Jerry leaves!”
Tom paused, thoughtfully.
“Who?”
“Mom is. She’s taking me to lunch-”
“No. No, no, no. After who leaves?”
“Uncle Jerry.”
Tom bit his lower lip, and fought to keep from twitching. He didn’t want to say it to his little girl, but she didn’t have an ‘Uncle Jerry’ on either side of the family. Tom’s fists clenched.
“Okay. Okay… Will you do Daddy a favor sweet-pea?”
“Of course!” Shouted the little girl, excited to help her Father.
“I need you to take the phone, and go upstairs. Bang on mommy’s door and shout, ‘Daddy’s home! Daddy’s home! His car just pulled up!’. Can you do that for me?”
“Sure Daddy!”
And so she did. With Tom listening expectantly on the other side of the line. Seething with anger. Smoldering like a hot coal. Then he heard it:
“Daddy’s home! Daddy’s home! His car is here!”
There was a great commotion in the wake of this statement. Tom heard screaming and loud thumping. Then he heard a window break, someone shrieked, and the line was silent… There was no noise for several seconds, before Tom’s daughter picked up again.
“What happened??” He asked her.
“Well Mommy jumped out of bed with all of her clothes off and tripped and hit her head on the dresser.”
Serves that lousy-cheating-bimbo right! Thought Tom.
“And ‘Uncle Jerry’?” He asked, spite in his voice.
“Well he jumped out the window he seemed so scared. But I guess didn’t know you emptied the pool last week. because he landed really hard on his head in that big concrete bowl. I don’t think he’s okay…”
The girl kept talking, but Tom had tuned her out. His face had gone completely pale, and he’d begun to shake again – not with rage this time, but out of terror. He slowly put down the phone. He could still hear the little voice of the girl talking on the other line still, when he hung up. Tom wasn’t really sure who’s number he’d just dialed with his clumsy fingers, but it certainly hadn’t been his own. Tom didn’t have a pool…