Call Me MAYbe Flash Fiction #21: When Fate Calls by Gabrielle Jones

Welcome to the Call Me MAYbe Flash Fiction Challenge!!

All stories begin with "The phone rang" and are no more than 1,000 words. Deadline to submit is May 31. For full contest rules and prize list, visit this link: http://mystiparker.blogspot.com/2013/04/next-month-call-me-maybe-flash-fiction.html

#21: When Fate Calls

by

Gabrielle Jones

The phone rang, but Lacey was so absorbed in her book that she barely heard the first ring so when the same sharp tone pierced the comfortable quiet of her cozy apartment Lacey was so startled she nearly threw her book across the room.

She took a moment to let her heartbeat return to its natural rhythm before moving swiftly to the little table in the corner near her front door, the number on the phone’s caller id was sickeningly familiar but Lacey was certain it was important so she answered.

“Hello?”

“Lacey? It’s me Nathan, sorry for calling so late but I have to talk to you.”

Lacey could barely resist rolling her eyes when she heard her cousin’s voice on the other end of the line, she loved Nathan dearly but she was getting tired of talking to him almost every night and as she stood with the phone to her ear she couldn’t help but wonder why he’d been given full responsibility for his mother’s welfare once it’d become clear that she could no longer care for herself properly.

Her cousin was a good guy and he meant well but Lacey remembered that he’d been rather spoiled by his father when he was a child so he’d never truly learned to take responsibility for anything he did and if memory served her correctly he hadn’t really improved as he got older, now knowing Nathan as well as she did Lacey was pretty sure she knew exactly what this phone call was about.

“Lacey? Hello, earth calling Lacey!”

Hearing her name being shouted over through the phone allowed her to snap out of her reverie, “Sorry Nathan, I’m here what’s wrong what is so important that it couldn’t wait until tomorrow?”

Lacey braced herself for what she knew was coming, she didn’t usually hear from Nathan unless it had something to do with his mother Cecelia. She’d been a wonderful caretaker and influence for Lacey after she’d lost her mother to an illness when she was in high school and because of that there was nothing Lacey wouldn’t do for her aunt even if it meant putting up with her irresponsible slightly annoying cousin.

“Jeez Lace I wish you wouldn’t space out on me like that, you know how much it annoys me. Now back to the matter at hand. As I said before sorry for calling so late but I didn’t know who else to call, it’s mom she’s lost touch with reality again.”

Lacey listened intently and realized that this was the first time since Nathan had called that she was able to, it wasn’t that she zoned out on Nathan purposefully it was that she couldn’t seem to help herself. Lacey shook her head when she realized that she was doing it again, she’d missed the part where he’d repeated his earlier apology but when Nathan mentioned Cecelia’s name she instantly knew that the situation was serious.

Her aunt had been this way for about two years now and because neither Lacey nor Nathan wanted Cecelia in a nursing home right now they’d compromised with a private nurse who came to stay with her from mid morning to late at night when either Lacey or her cousin would continue the personal care, Lacey had also comprised a schedule to make the situation easier for all four of them. Tonight was her night off which was why Lacey had been at home relaxing with a glass of Chardonnay and a good book, that is until she was both interrupted and terrified half to death by the tone of her very loud telephone.

 “Nathan what exactly do you mean by “she’s lost touch with reality.”? Did something scare her, did she see something outside? What happened?”

Lacey heard Nathan’s loud heavy sigh through the phone and this time she did roll her eyes, he always sighed like that when he thought that what he was telling someone should be obvious he felt like he shouldn’t have to explain things to people in deep detail because it was more work for him, “poor baby” she thought with extreme sarcasm.

 “Okay cousin, are you listening? Mom said she saw two wolves outside her living room window, real wolves. I tried to tell her that she was seeing things that they must have been very large dogs but she wasn’t hearing me, she told me to call you and that you’d believe what she said. I’m a little freaked out here Lacey, could you please come over here and calm her down? You’re good with her she trusts you.”

Lacey closed her eyes for a moment and mentally counted to ten, she knew that this is why her cousin had called. It really hadn’t been all that different from a couple of weeks ago when he’d called her, once again on her night off minus the wolves of course. She didn’t want to go but she was certain that Nathan probably couldn’t handle this on his own and even as annoyed as she was with her cousin she could not, would not abandon her aunt.

“Alright Nathan, try and calm down I’ll be there. Just give me about twenty minutes okay?”

Lacey couldn’t help but smile when Nathan began thanking her profusely and she could almost picture him bowing to her in immense gratitude which made her laugh. She did love her cousin even though he could be troublesome.

She glanced briefly at the light purple clock on her living room wall and said again in a voice she hoped didn’t sound too annoyed; “You’re welcome Nathan I’ll see you soon okay?  Bye.”

Lacey hung up and a few minutes later she was dressed and getting into her red VW Bug that was parked in the garage she shared with the other tenants, and as she started the engine she couldn’t help but think that this night was going to be anything but ordinary. 

****

While not extremely versed in the language of writing, Gabrielle's been dabbling in Paranormal romance and some Ya Paranomral romance writing since her High School years. As a freshman is when she was certain that writing full time was something she wanted to persue, writing has become more then a hobby and devouring books whenever possible has become an integral part of her life. 

 

When she's not reading or writing, she's second in command next to her mother and is helping with dinner and household chores as well as keeping her younger brothers in line.

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