A call that is not about anything is the call
By Delia Marchetti, Staff writer · · 2 min read
The call you want is the one with no reason in it.
My oldest calls when the car makes a noise. My youngest calls when he needs the name of the plumber. Those are good calls. I am glad to be the person who knows the plumber.
But the call I keep is from last March. Nine minutes. He was walking the dog. He described the dog. He described a man on the corner who was also walking a dog. Then he said he had to go.
Nothing happened in that call. That is why I keep it.
A woman at church told me her daughter calls every Sunday at four and reads her the grocery receipt. Item by item. The daughter lives in Spokane. The mother lives here. The receipt is the excuse.
I asked what she says back. She said she asks about the prices.
My sister thinks this is sad. She thinks a daughter should have more to say than the price of eggs in Spokane. I told her the eggs are not the point. She said, then what is the point.
I did not have a good answer. I still don't, except that the phone rings at four.