2
I'd hung up twice already, which really wasn't all that bad considering my track record. Just because I flew through shrinks didn't mean it was an easy process; in fact, it was pretty difficult nowadays for me to use the phone in general, save for calls placed to the select few I spoke with every day.
"Dr. Shaw's office, Vanity speaking, how can I help you?"
Was her name seriously Vanity?
I coughed into the receiver and could almost feel the annoyance surging through the line from the other end. After a brief but awkward pause, I located my voice, albeit a somewhat froggy, raspy version of its typical self.
"Hi, um, my name is Abby, that's, um, Abigail Tremming. I, uh, I was hoping to book an appointment with Dr. Shaw?"
"Alright, Abby, can I get an address for you?"
Another pause. You would think it was a difficult question.
She seemed to have regained her patience; her tone was sweet and light, like the sort of cakes that Lynn and Jasey liked to make. All the flavor, half the calories.
She read me back the address, before moving on to other details: phone number, age, and my personal favorite – what seems to be the problem? The world, basically.
"Ok, Abby. Any particular date or time of day work better for you?"
"Not really. I'm here all the time." Like, ALL of the time.
"Well, Dr. Shaw will be traveling to the New England region two weeks from tomorrow, so I can set you up with a date in that timeframe. I'll have someone call you back with two or three options for you to choose from and you'll be all set."
"Perfect, thank you."
I tapped the red button with my thumb, letting the phone fall onto the couch cushion beside me. My stomach growled as I was suddenly and painfully aware of my lack of breakfast. I had deliberately skipped my usual blueberry muffin and large, iced coffee as phone calls like the one I'd just made had a tendency to make me ill. Just another side effect of Abby's quacky world.
I nearly toppled from the couch as the phone rang out beside me, Lynn's frightening intuition dialing in on cue.
I lifted the phone, jabbing the receive button as I let myself fall back against the frayed pillows.
"You did it?" she asked, without preamble.
"You really did bug this place, huh. I thought you were joking when you said you were going to do that."
She sighed on the other end of the line and I could hear a crinkling noise in the background; if my intuition were anything like hers, it was a bag of Salt n Vinegar chips and she had caved on her diet on yet another stressful Monday morning.
"I didn't bug the place. I don't know where you think I'd get the money anyway," she said, now very clearly chewing between words. "So, I'm right? You called?"
"They are calling me back with an appointment."
"So, this is happening."
"Looks like."
I set the phone on speaker and slid my laptop from its resting place on the side table. I'd feel better once I had poured myself into one of my ongoing projects. This guy from Seattle wanted three articles a week for his guitar-themed blog, which was proving to be quite the task. It wouldn't have been, had I played the guitar or been musically inclined in any way.
"I'm proud of you, Abby," Lynn said, "and I'm glad that Jasey came across this. It looks really promising."
I didn't mention that I thought it looked like complete B.S. I wasn't about to go at it with two of them at once. Instead I just snorted my assent.
"I can hear your background starting up so I will let you work, I just wanted to call and check-in. I'm picking up pizza on the way home; it'll probably be a little early today, like around fivish."
"Sounds good."
"See you Abs."
"Bye."
Before her lunch break ended, Lynn would call Jasey, and one of them, in turn, would call Rene. That's how we worked, especially when it came to my 'progress'. We were an ongoing news bulletin, passed along from one eager reader to the next. And I was usually the front page news. I didn't mind; it was nice that they cared. It just might have been a little easier if they didn't care quite so much.
