The Wrong Number

Sarah's Point of View:

Sarah finished brushing her long brown hair and left the bathroom, grabbing her school books as she went. It was quarter to eight; she would have to leave for her bus in about five minutes. Still half asleep she jumped when the phone rang. She shuffled her way over to the phone and picked it up. “Hello?” She said, her voice was tired and had the harsh sound of a voice that hadn’t been used yet today.

“Hello, is this Sarah?” A voice returned, it was a man’s voice, he sounded young and worried but Sarah didn’t recognize who it was. She figured this was because she was still half asleep, and that the name would come to her eventually.

“Yeah, umm that’s me.” She responded trying to make herself sound more awake even though she was having trouble stopping yawning.

“Oh thank god I finally reached you. I'm having a really hard time and I really need to speak with you, I didn't think it would be that different without you here but it is. Damon is getting worse, and he doesn't seem to be responding to treatment. Oh God you don't even know how painful it is to spend time with him. To see him laying there so weak, it breaks my heart. And yet he still stays in good spirits, it's unbelievable how strong he is. I wish I was strong enough to handle it, and it seems like my whole life is falling apart, school, even life at home isn't normal now that my parents...know."

"Wha..? What are you talking...Who are you?" Sarah said becoming very confused.

"Don't you recognize my voice? Well I guess it's early there, I forgot about the whole time zone thing. It's me Jeff Landon. This is Sarah Andrews, right?"

Sarah tried to rack her sleepy brain for any clue to who this was, the name didn't ring any bells. But he sounded so upset, and even though she didn't know him she couldn't help but feel sympathy. Whoever it was it was obvious he needed someone. "No, my name is Sarah O'Neil."

"Oh." There was a pause, and Sarah wondered for a moment if he had hung up. "But isn't this 613-75#-####?"

Sarah frowned, that was her number there was no mistaking it. "That's my number, perhaps you got the wrong one?"

"No, Sarah gave it to me directly, if it's the wrong number it's because she didn't want me to have it. I should have known, that was why she was acting so distant. Not because she was moving away, but because she was trying to get rid of me. God, I'm such an idiot."

Sarah could hear the tone in his voice clearly, he sounded very depressed and it was obvious his life was troubling. She didn't want him to do anything drastic, something he would regret or be unable to regret. Not knowing his personality she knew she had to act fast not to loose him. "No, none of what you said was your fault you cannot blame yourself."

There was another silence, but this time Sarah didn't think it was because he was considering hanging up. "Why isn't it? I always knew she wouldn't be able to handle what I told her. But I couldn't let her go on thinking that there was a chance we would have a deeper relationship than just friends."

"What is it that you told her?" Sarah asked, though she had a good guess it had something to do with Damon.

"I'm gay, Damon is my boyfriend. I knew Sarah was attracted to me, and I couldn't let her think she had a chance. So, knowing her feelings on the subject were not kind I told her anyways. Two months before she left to go to Ottawa for College."

As Sarah listened she began to feel a connection to this stranger. She had lost a best friend recently as well, and though it was for different reasons it didn't change the pain. And not having a close friend to talk to when your in trouble can be hard. "Maybe she was just scared. Things might still get better." As she spoke she moved from leaning against the counter to slumping to the ground, stretching out her legs she let herself relax and lean against the wall.

"Well there isn't much that can get worse." He was quiet again but Sarah thought he might speak more in depth if she gave him the chance. A long deep sigh was heard before he continued. "Damon has cancer and is no longer responding to treatment. His family has done some research and they are trying to find alternative treatments without any luck. Once I told Sarah who I was, word spread fairly quickly. My parents were crushed, especially my father, he has been drinking more often than ever before and he blames himself. My mother thinks it's some kind of illness and she is determined to cure it. I'm failing my main courses, and in jeopardy of loosing my scholarship. But I can't think of anything but Damon. Every time I go to class all I can think about is how we used to joke around during lectures. I need him, but I'm loosing him, and even if it isn't my fault I feel responsible because there isn't anything I can do."

The more he talked, the more Sarah began to feel a kinship with him, and so she decided to share a bit of her life with him. "I know where you're coming from. Last year my best friend was diagnosed with Cancer. She had a brain tumor, and after almost a year of treatment it seemed like she was finally doing good. She was cancer free for three months until it came back, much more aggressive. She passed away less then a month later. At first, I was confused and didn't know what to do. But I realized there was only one thing I could do. I didn't know how much time she had, so I made the most of it, we would talk, watch movies, hang out and do anything that didn't remind us of what was happening.

"That didn't work for long, the pain became unbearable for her and she was on enough medication that she was barely herself. Than, one day after she had went into remission, she told me something I will never forget. She said that everyone tells her how strong she is and that they wouldn't be able to in the same situation. But that the only reason she was so strong was because of me. That without my encouragement, my strengths, she wouldn't have made it this far. I couldn't believe it. Jeff, what I'm trying to say is that by spending your time with him you are helping him, your giving him all that you have, your love." Once she stopped she felt tears well up in her eyes and the thought of Samantha. She had just shared something with a stranger she had never told anyone before. She only hoped it would help.

"I think I've been selfish, I spent time with him because I needed him, and I felt angry at him because of how it had affected my life. But how must his be? Living with the fear of dieing, of leaving everything behind and so much unfinished."

"You have to ask yourself, which is more important. School, or Damon? Whichever you pick do not think that it means the end for Damon, he may still recover, there is always a chance." It was then that Sarah happened to glance at the clock, she had long ago missed her bus and most of her friends would be in class already. But she knew that this conversation was more important then one day of school.

"Damon, I love him. But without school, where will I end up?"

"I think that you will work that out later. But if you do not decide now, you may not have to. You could loose both. You should talk to your guidance counselor, they will be able to. Generally scholarships have exceptions for cases where the students outside life takes over. Traumatic experiences and such, you may be given a second chance."

"Still my parents will never accept me, and it will only be worse once I am kicked out of school."

"They need time, they love you and they're confused. Once they accept that no matter what they do they cannot change who you are. It may be hard, but I think you can get through it." Sarah said, and she felt a little better, hoping that he felt a little better too.

"Thank you, I really needed someone. Shoot, I must have screwed up your day, you didn't miss something you had to go to right?"

"No, nothing worth missing this." Sarah said, and she felt as though her self worth suddenly went up. She had not only made a friend, but helped someone by sharing her own story. "Jeff?"

"Yeah?

"Call me anytime." Sarah said cheerfully.

Jeff's View Point:

Jeff laid awake in his bed, it was four in the afternoon and yet he still felt tired. He always felt tired now, he flipped open his notebook and happened to open it to the page where he had scrawled Sarah Andrews' number. He hadn't spoken to her since she moved away and decided now was the time. He sat up leaning against his headboard and dialed her number. He felt a little anxious as he waited for someone to pick up on the other end.

"Hello?"

It was a girls voice but Jeff wasn't sure if it was her or not, whoever it was it was obvious they had just woken up recently. "Hello, is this Sarah?"

"Yeah, umm that's me."

Jeff felt instantly relieved and immediately started talking. He couldn't help but let it poor out it was like he could finally let out his emotions. "Oh thank god I finally reached you. I'm having a really hard time and I really need to speak with you, I didn't think it would be that different without you here but it is. Damon is getting worse, and he doesn't seem to be responding to treatment. Oh God you don't even know how painful it is to spend time with him. To see him laying there so weak, it breaks my heart. And yet he still stays in good spirits, it's unbelievable how strong he is. I wish I was strong enough to handle it, and it seems like my whole life is falling apart, school, even life at home isn't normal now that my parents...know."

"Wha..? What are you talking...Who are you?"

Jeff felt his heart stop, had it been that long that she no longer recognized him? Now that he thought more about it her voice seemed different as well. "Don't you recognize my voice? Well I guess it's early there, I forgot about the whole time zone thing. It's me Jeff Landon. This is Sarah Andrews, right?" He awaited an answer somewhat fearfully, his voice full of worry, if this was the wrong number what would he do?

"No, my name is Sarah O'Neil."

"Oh. O'Neil, the name didn't even sound familiar, it was possible he made a mistake dialing. He almost hung up right away but something made him wait, he wanted to be sure. "But isn't this 613-75#-####?"

"That's my number, perhaps you got the wrong one?"

Jeff glanced down at his notepad again, it was definitely the number she had given him. He rembered asking her a few times just to make sure he hadn't made a mistake. "No, Sarah gave it to me directly, if it's the wrong number it's because she didn't want me to have it. I should have known, that was why she was acting so distant. Not because she was moving away, but because she was trying to get rid of me. God, I'm such an idiot." He ran his hands through his dark brown hair, he felt sick to his stomach, more so than usual.

"No, none of what you said was your fault you cannot blame yourself."

Jeff noted the emotion in her voice, was it possible for someone he had never met to care about what happened to him? Even is parents didn't care. "Why isn't it? I always knew she wouldn't be able to handle what I told her. But I couldn't let her go on thinking that there was a chance we would have a deeper relationship than just friends." He realized he was telling more than he wanted to, but it wouldn't matter, so what if another person didn't agree with his life choices.

"What is it that you told her?"

Here it goes, Jeff thought as he inhaled deeply, "I'm gay, Damon is my boyfriend. I knew Sarah was attracted to me, and I couldn't let her think she had a chance. So, knowing her feelings on the subject were not kind I told her anyways. Two months before she left to go to Ottawa for College." It had been obvious, she couldn't handle the truth and he blinded himself from it.

"Maybe she was just scared. Things might still get better."

Better? That would be a welcome change, "Well there isn't much that can get worse." He was quiet for a time as he gathered up the courage to continue. Once again reminding himself that it wasn't as though her reactions would matter much. "Damon has cancer and is no longer responding to treatment. His family has done some research and they are trying to find alternative treatments without any luck. Once I told Sarah who I was, word spread fairly quickly. My parents were crushed, especially my father, he has been drinking more often than ever before and he blames himself. My mother thinks it's some kind of illness and she is determined to cure it. I'm failing my main courses, and in jeopardy of loosing my scholarship. But I can't think of anything but Damon. Every time I go to class all I can think about is how we used to joke around during lectures. I need him, but I'm loosing him, and even if it isn't my fault I feel responsible because there isn't anything I can do."

"I know where you're coming from. Last year my best friend was diagnosed with Cancer. She had a brain tumor, and after almost a year of treatment it seemed like she was finally doing good. She was cancer free for three months until it came back, much more aggressive. She passed away less then a month later. At first, I was confused and didn't know what to do. But I realized there was only one thing I could do. I didn't know how much time she had, so I made the most of it, we would talk, watch movies, hang out and do anything that didn't remind us of what was happening.

"That didn't work for long, the pain became unbearable for her and she was on enough medication that she was barely herself. Than, one day after she had went into remission, she told me something I will never forget. She said that everyone tells her how strong she is and that they wouldn't be able to in the same situation. But that the only reason she was so strong was because of me. That without my encouragement, my strengths, she wouldn't have made it this far. I couldn't believe it. Jeff, what I'm trying to say is that by spending your time with him you are helping him, your giving him all that you have, your love."

Jeff couldn't believe her words, she had opened up to him. The why of it all no longer seemed to matter. It was as though they had a bond that couldn't be explained rationally. He thought on everything that had happened lately and noticed something that he felt but had ignored. "I think I've been selfish, I spent time with him because I needed him, and I felt angry at him because of how it had affected my life. But how must his be? Living with the fear of dieing, of leaving everything behind and so much unfinished." But was it too late? If Damon knew that he had been concerned about how everything affected his life, would he forgive Jeff?

"You have to ask yourself, which is more important. School, or Damon? Whichever you pick do not think that it means the end for Damon, he may still recover, there is always a chance."

Jeff thought on it for a moment, but then he realized, that there wasn't a choice to be made. "Damon, I love him. But without school, where will I end up?" He winced, he was being selfish again, but maybe it was okay to be a little.

"I think that you will work that out later. But if you do not decide now, you may not have to. You could loose both. You should talk to your guidance counselor, they will be able to. Generally scholarships have exceptions for cases where the students outside life takes over. Traumatic experiences and such, you may be given a second chance."


"Still my parents will never accept me, and it will only be worse once I am kicked out of school." His voice darkened again, what his parents had done, to him, to his family. He wasn't sure that even if they did accept him that he could forgive them.

"They need time, they love you and they're confused. Once they accept that no matter what they do they cannot change who you are. It may be hard, but I think you can get through it."

How did she know what he could and couldn't do? He sighed and felt a new determination. If a stranger could believe in him, perhaps he could believe in himself. "Thank you, I really needed someone. Shoot, I must have screwed up your day, you didn't miss something you had to go to right?" He felt bad, how long had they been talking anyways?

"No, nothing worth missing this."

Jeff felt relieved, he would feel bad if he had screwed up her day with this wrong number call.

"Jeff?"

"Yeah?" He answered startled out of thought.

"Call me anytime." Her voice was cheerful and it carried over to Jeff who smiled for the first time in a long time. And he felt something that was more important than anything else, welcome.