I groaned angrily and tried to jab a few buttons on the phone, it didn't even turn on. I smacked my hand against the headboard of my bed.
"You have to be kidding me!" I screamed at my ceiling, "This shit's only supposed to happen in those sappy rom-com movies!" I murmured to myself as I turned on my side.
I hoped that my caller id list would be working tomorrow morning as the storm was probably only going to last a few more hours. At least, I could then contact the man and explain the situation to him; and I could get his name.
I flicked off my light and fell asleep quickly, dreaming of a mysterious man and thundering storms…
The next morning I woke up feeling light and refreshed and… well, I felt happy but with a twinge of anxiousness as I recalled the memories of last night. I desperately wanted to know who the man on the other side of the phone was. I felt like I had just started a really amazing book and then found that the last page of the book was gone. I picked up my phone and reveled in the satisfied vibe I was feeling and began scrolling through my caller list. I bit my life nervously when I flipped through the list and saw that my unknown caller's name wasn't there. Yesterday, only three people had called me. It was Caroline, my best friend as well as the local library calling to let me know that a book I had reserved had arrived. And then there was the mysterious man who had propositioned me last night The only numbers that were showing up in my phone was Caroline's cellphone and the local library's number. My mystery caller wasn't there. I frowned and put my phone on the table as I began to dress, I wasn't going to let this slip away. I decided to call Caroline and see what her opinion of all this was.
I had just finished lacing up my comfortable leather boots when I heard Caroline knocking on my door. Wow. Talk about telepathic, Caroline always seemed to know when I needed to talk and since she lived close by, she would drop by sometimes. And in the moment, I really appreciated it. I felt like I really needed to talk to Caroline and get her advice, Caroline is such an open-minded smart person, I knew she would know what I should do.
Caroline came inside and sat at my kitchen table after she set down two coffees and a paper bag filled with bagels and small jars of gourmet jam from the bakery down the street. Caroline and I ate quickly and in between bites of the bagel, I told Caroline my predicament. After we finished the last bagel, Caroline was looking at me with a mix of curiosity and wonder in her eyes.
"Oh my god. That sounds like its straight out of a movie! And you can't find Mr. Sexy, hot mysterious guy's phone number on your phone? Let me see!" Caroline said, her voice bubbling with excitement.
I handed her my phone and she jabbed at the buttons with her French manicured nails and frowned when she couldn't find his number either. Caroline turned the phone over and over in her hands and her green eyes widened when she focused on the small sticker on the back.
"Hey! Look at this!" Caroline held the back of the phone up to my face.
"Yeah.. It's the logo of Mystic Phone Company, the company that provides phone service to almost all of Mystic Falls." I said, not understanding where Caroline was going with this.
"Well, don't they have an office? Go visit it and ask to see if they keep lists of callers for their customers!" Caroline squealed.
"I guess it's worth a shot," I remarked as I found the address on my phone.
"Hey Elena, do you mind if I stay here until you come back? I have nothing planned and your place is more interesting than mine. And you have more food than me. My fridge has been empty for two days, I've been eating takeout! I'm too lazy to go grocery shopping." Caroline said with a hint of bashfulness in her voice.
"Of course Care', but only if you make lunch for when I come back and we can eat it together and watch reruns on TV."
Caroline is an amazing cook, but only when she actually remembers to go grocery shopping. Caroline may be a little ditzy, but I wouldn't have her any other way. She flops down on the couch and starts looking for recipes on her phone.
"Bye Care'" I call out as I lock my front door behind me.
I hear no response; Caroline must have her headphones plugged into her ears listening to loud music. I take my car to the Mystic Phone Company which is about half an hour away from my house. I push open the door and wait in the line to speak to an attendant who is helping people pay their phone bills, upgrade their phone plans, and other things. When the attendant finally says "Next Please," I let out a sigh of relieve. Finally. It's my turn.
I go up to the attendant.
"What may I help you with?" she asked with an irritated tone of voice. I suppose she was feeling tired and annoyed with such a long line of customers.
"Well, you know how there was that big thunderstorm yesterday? I was speaking to someone and the phone line cut off."
" M'am. Perhaps a phone line near your house fell or something, I'm not sure. But you should be calling our maintenance guys at this number."
The attendant started rummaging in a drawer and muttered as she flipped through a large stack of messy files.
I shyly tapped on the glass that separated the attendant from the customers.
"Actually, that's not what I'm here for. I was speaking to someone last night, and when the phone cut off, I didn't get their name and their phone number isn't listed in my phone."
The attendant looked at me with annoyance in her eyes, " M'am. Have you tried contacting this person through other means such as email?"
" Um, well, I don't exactly know them. I need to get in touch with them."
" M'am. I'm not sure what you're asking me to do."
I grimaced as the attendant scraped her chair against the tile floor and pulled her computer monitor a bit closer to her.
"Well, uh, I was hoping that you had a list of callers. Maybe it didn't save on my phone or something but it's in your system?"
" M'am, I'm not sure if I am allowed to give out that information," the attendant droned on as she wiped a smudge from her computer monitor.
I fought back the urge to roll my eyes, the attendant was being extremely unhelpful.
"Could you speak to your manager please?"
The attendant scraped her chair back and walked through a door and didn't return until another 10 minutes had passed. The attendant returned and sat in her chair.
"Well under special circumstances, my manager said that I was alright that I released this information to you. We will have to verify your identity first though as this information is private to our customers."
I nodded, feeling really annoyed with the attendant.
"What is your name?"
"Elena Gilbert."
"What is your full name?" the attendant enquired.
"Elena Marie Gilbert."
"What is your address?"
"2104 Maple Drive" I said.
"What is the name of your grade 2 teacher? This is the security question we have on file when you signed up with us."
"Uh, Mrs. Maxwell?" I really didn't remember who my grade 2 teacher was.
"Actually, it was Mrs. Kerry" the attendant said with a very easily distinguished snotty tone.
"What's your phone number?"
I told the attendant my phone number.
"How long have you been with Mystic Phone Company?"
"I guess about two years." I said.
The attendant looked at her computer monitor and slightly shook her head.
"Ma'am, it says on file that you've been with us not for two years but for one and 3 months."
"Oh uh sorry." I replied not knowing what to say. Knowing exactly how long I've been with my phone company isn't something that is constantly on my mind.
"Well, with this information, I'm sorry but I do not have sufficient proof that you are who you say you are and I'm not sure if I can show you're your caller list."
I sighed loudly, "Look, I really need to see my caller list. I don't see why it's that important that I remember how long I've been with your company and who my grade two teacher is."
"Ma'am, you also didn't know your middle name until I asked." The attendant said.
I rolled my eyes; it was really getting hard to contain my annoyance with this attendant. She wasn't trying to help me at all and was being extremely irritation.
"What do you want to know then? I really need that list!"
"What is your Mystic Falls Phone identification number?"
I scratched my head, how was I supposed to know? The identification number appeared on phone bills from the Mystic Falls Phone company and whenever they sent upgraded equipment for my television to my house. The number was always on the side of the box of the bottom of the receipts.
I opened my purse and rummaged through the pockets. I found the envelope where I had kept all my bills like my phone bill, electricity bill, and water bill for the month. I had been planning to head to the bank to pay off the bills at the end of the weekend. Thank god I had my phone bill in the envelope.
I pulled out my water bill, electricity bill, and almost cried with happiness when I found the phone bill. I slid it under the glass so that the attendant could see it.
She picked it up between her fingers and slid heavy, glasses over her nose. She wrinkled her nose at the paper, " Ma'am, this looks like a photocopy."
I wanted to leave the stuffy Mystic Falls Phone office; I felt so frustrated with this attendant's monotone voice and displeasing nature.
"I photocopy all my bills, even my water bill. I like to keep the originals for my record and the bank never minds if I bring photocopies to them. They just look at the name and the amount that needs to be paid and its okay." I explained angrily.
"Well, we here, at the Mystic Falls Phone Company are definitely not the bank."
"Will you please just look put the number from the bill into your computer? You'll see that it matches to me, ELENA MARIE GILBERT who lives at 2104 Maple Drive!"
The attendant looked at her computer once more and glanced between the bill and the computer several times before slowly nodding as if she had come to some great revelation. The attendant clicked a few buttons and looked at different files on the computer.
"Well, it appears that you are Elena Marie Gilbert. Well, early this morning, your caller list for the past 6 months was printed out and shipped to our Information Depot downtown. I'm afraid that you'll have to go there to get your information."
"Can't you see the caller list on the computer still?" I asked, exasperation filling my voice.
"Actually no. We have limited space on our database, and the caller lists as well as other information is printed out every 6 months and is sent to our Information Depot where you can look up the information." The attendant said.
"You've got to be kidding me," I said, feeling extremely frustrated, all this for nothing.
The attendant opened a small cupboard and pulled out different envelopes as she read the tiny labels on the front of each one. About 5 minutes later, the attendant shoved the envelopes back into the cupboard and started looking in a drawer for something.
"Um, what are you looking for?" I asked the attendant.
"I'm trying to find the card for our Information Depot." The attendant said without making eye contact with me.
I honestly felt like I was at the end of my rope, "That's alright; I'll just find the address on your website.
"Actually, our website has scheduled maintenance every 2 weeks on this day from 12:00pm to 9:00 at night. Our website isn't working currently."
I look at my watch, when I got to the Mystic Phone office, it was 11:30am. It was now 1:00. This crazy lady had been talking to me for one and a half hours!
The attendant finally found the card and slid it to me under the glass. It read:
Mystic Falls Phone Company Information Depot
4589 Marcia Blvd.
I grabbed the card and said a hurried thank you to the attendant but I did not mean it at all. She had been so boring, rude, and unhelpful. I got into my car and drove back to my house. I unlocked the door and inhaled deeply. Caroline had gotten to work alright, the air smelled of herbs, tomatoes and fresh bread. Delicious.
A/N- Wow. Long chapter;) Sorry for the long wait, I hope you enjoy! Next chapter should be up soon and I have rebooted Under My Kings Hand. I would love it if you guys reviewed this and took a look at UMKH. Thanks for reading:)