Confidence by Russell Smith

Author:Russell Smith
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781771960168
Publisher: Biblioasis
Published: 2015-05-05T04:00:00+00:00

He thought she would be disappointed that he didn’t suggest they stay out late together, or press to come in when he dropped her at her building, but she was quick and businesslike. She thanked him and kissed him on the cheek. He was relieved but also, he supposed, a little hurt. He was also, he had to be honest, a little disappointed himself that there were no more texts from strangers on his phone.

He went home and slept without pills.

It was carelessly, then, that he switched on the phone the next morning, in defiance of his own policy, before he was even dressed. It was Saturday; there was no reason to switch it on at all. He was yawning over his sink when he saw it sitting on the table, and he shuffled over with a glass pot of water in his hand and he just tapped the power button without thinking. He heard it tinkle to life as he was sluicing the water into the coffeemaker. He didn’t think anything of his action until he was back at the table and there it was flashing demonically at him and making impatient music-box tunes.

It was that feeling you have in the split second after you burn yourself by grabbing a pot that’s been sitting on a red burner: why the hell did I do that?

One from Claude, of course. We need to chat today. Instantly deleted.

Then the strange number again. It was a long one.

what happened to u? i waited for 60 mins and so did the others. It would nt have been difficult to tell me wher u were.

This one had been sent around midnight. There was another from an hour later:

I was embarrased, I told M and jen F u wuld b there.it shows a lack of respect that u told me u would show up and then left me waiting.

There was no message from his date, which was not surprising, of course, she wouldn’t text him. She would email him, or not.

He sent a reply to the last anonymous message that said STOP TEXTING ME I DON’T KNOW YOU.

Now there was nothing to do except studiously ignore Claude until the late afternoon, just to make him wait. He should have set up a squash game. He turned off the phone and tried to read the paper.

His phone chimed mischievously.

New text message.

baby! u kill me!

Leo actually laughed at this. He put the phone aside.

But he couldn’t read the paper. “All right,” he said aloud.

He picked up the little metal brick and hit “reply.” At length, he spelled out, I’m sorry. I’ll see you tonight.

Then he erased the last sentence and wrote it as i’ll see u tonite.

He sent it.

His phone was dumb for a while, to his slight annoyance.

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