Part 4 - Phil Phones

After Phil finished rearranging the posters at the coffee shop, he went outside to use the pay phone. It was the only pay phone in town, so he was careful to make use of it whenever he was in the area.

“Hello,” said Marlin. He was the kind of person who says that like a flat statement, not a question. It was always little disappointing to Phil, but he didn’t let on. He would have liked it if Marlin could have had just a hint of that curious “who could it be?" sound in his voice when he answered, but he realized that these sorts of things are not meant personally.

Phil, on the other hand, usually answered the phone in a near whisper. If someone had called him, he would have whispered, “Hello?” in a conspiratorial tone, as if perhaps he was living among the pixies, and didn’t want them to know that he was getting calls from the outside. But he didn’t ever answer the phone, because nobody ever called him. And besides, he didn’t have a phone. One time he had answered the pay phone outside the coffee shop, but it had been a wrong number. Someone trying to reach the bakery that made spinach and cheese biscuits. Phil knew this, because when the person had asked if they could order biscuits, he had asked what kind. They had seemed disappointed when he told them that they couldn’t order the spinach and cheese kind. He had felt sorry, of course, but he really couldn't help.

“Marlin, it’s… “ he looked both ways to see that nobody was coming, “Phil.”

“Did you lose your key again?” demanded Marlin, without sounding at all surprised that it was Phil.

“No, not this time,” said Phil. “It’s about a girl.”

Marlin hung up. Phil hung up too. He should have known that Marlin wouldn’t be much help. He was just the guy who had the extra keys to the botanical garden. He polished the floors and emptied the garbage. Phil had once asked if Marlin found any love notes in the garbage, and Marlin had said to shut up. So Phil knew that he shouldn’t have expected much romance help from him, but he was the only person he really knew, to talk to.

He threw the messenger bag across his shoulder and walked toward the telephone pole across the street, feeling in his pocket for his staple remover.