THE PHONE CALL by Randy Tramp
Rubbing my eyes and pulling myself from the bed , I blindly made my way to the phone. Looking at the clock and seeing it was 1230 a.m. I wondered who would be calling this late. The first sounds was a familiar distant sobbing, then silence. My heart began to go into alarm as the dreaded middle of the night phone call began to materialize in my imagination then into reality. I sat in silence as the caller began her story.
"Dad - I’m hurting and so lonely. You haven’t spent time with me and you don’t care about me. You gave me things and but I didn’t want things - I wanted you." As I listened I began to pick up on the past tense of this conversation and wondered why.
"Dad - I’m hurting and so lonely. You haven’t spent time with me and you don’t care about me. You gave me things and but I didn’t want things - I wanted you." As I listened I began to pick up on the past tense of this conversation and wondered why.
It became clear as she continued to speak. "Dad, I’m going to end my life tonight and I just wanted to tell you why."
Before I could say a word the phone went dead. I frantically looked at the caller ID and re-dialed the number. One ring, two rings, three rings. "Oh God please help." Four rings. I felt so helpless. My heart pounded in heaviness. five rings Answer. "Hello, Hello", I said.
The caller was silent but on the phone.
"Honey" was all I could say when she burst into crying. Seconds became minutes in the darkness of the night. I felt any words from me would end this phone call permanently, so I waited. What seemed like an eternity was interrupted by her words of such sadness. She began to tell me of the lonely nights that she cried herself to sleep, the countless conversations she wanted to have with me but couldn’t because of her fears of rejection. I listened as she recounted the many different stories from her heavy heart.
The darkness gave way to the light as the morning shown through the windows. Hope returned to her voice and by the time she said her final goodbyes I knew she would be OK because I listened.
I then walked into my daughter's room and thanked God that they were all OK and that this phone call was a wrong number.
DESTINY by my daughter, Kristina
The chill morning air brushed across my face. I woke with fear in my heart. Something was wrong, dead wrong. The feeling was so overwhelming that I almost couldn’t get out of bed. I walked downstairs only to find people weeping hysterically in my living room. I ran to my Mom and put my arms around her asking what was wrong but she didn’t move - it was like I was not even there. Then, I went over to my best friend, Amy, and tried talking to her but all she did was mumble something over and over again. I couldn’t understand what she was saying.
Then I heard my name, "Jennifer" the voice continued " Why did you do this? We all loved you." "Oh, Jenny, how am I going to make it through High School without my best friend?" she said between sobs. My whole family was in the living room crying over me. They actually loved me. In one single moment, I had been selfish and torn a piece of their heart out. In one single moment, I had taken my life. Who would have known they cared?
I fell to the ground and cried out to God and said, "Please forgive me. I was alone. I was hurt. Please let me have another chance." Then I woke up. My pillow stained with tears. I thanked God for letting me live one more day.
These stories are fictional. Each story was written separately on the same day. I and my daughter Kristina did not know we were writing stories with the same message until we read each other's story together. God is sending a strong message. He wants to touch the hearts of the lonely. We need to listen to the silent cries that are all around us before it’s too late and they pass into the night--alone.
Randy Tramp
Amazon Review:
It's a military thriller with a heart. Commander Mark Steele has an exciting job in Special Forces. Though it's dangerous, he knows his work is critically important. But that job separates him from his wife and child. When an injury brings him home, his wife is glad to have him back. But other issues cause struggles within the family, leading to distrust and hurt. Steele takes dangerous risks in his new work. The thriller plot thickens, as he seeks to save a life. But can he save his family?
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1st Published 10/30/06
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