The cell phone

“Hey honey,” Sam yelled out into the empty apartment as she closed the door.

“Up here, I was just going to jump in the shower, than I will be down to help you”.

“Okay,” Sam smiled as she headed to the kitchen to start. It was good to be home, it was always good to be home. Work was so crazy lately and she had been working such long hours. It was the first night that they actually got to cook together in a week. Cooking together was always one of her favorite things. They got to talk about what was going on in each other’s lives, laugh, and surprisingly put together a great meal. She put the chicken in the oven and headed upstairs to get changed from her work clothes. She saw a cell phone sitting on the table at the bottom of the stairs. It was a pink phone. Curious about who would have left it and knowing that James definitely didn’t carry around a pink phone, she picked it up.

“I can’t wait to make the announcement with James to all our family and friends, they will be so happy for us” blared across the screen as I picked it up.

Huh? James was her boyfriend. Well, it wasn’t an uncommon name. She scrolled up to read the rest of the conversation.

“It is finally here. The night that James tells her”

“Are you sure honey? He told you this before”.

“I know but I wasn’t pregnant before Jen, he wants this baby so bad, he actually cried when I told him”.

“Were they tears of joy or sorrow?”

“Ha-ha, he cried and told me he would look after everything and we would get married!”

“Oh Mackie, I’m so happy for you, I’m glad it all worked out”

“I can’t wait to make the announcement wit h James to all our family and friends, they will be so happy for us”.

Sam’s hands were shaking as she gripped the phone. It beeped making her jump.

“Yeah well one step at a time Mackie, you need to get rid of the women that is living with him now first!”

Sam stumbled to the couch. She sank into the cushions the phone still clutched in her hand. She couldn’t think, her mind was racing in a million directions. James was everything to her. They had moved to the city together after high school. They went to college, got their degrees, and moved in together. They have done everything together. They were happy, talking about getting married, and having a family of their own as soon as she settled down at work.

“Oh my god, this isn’t happening,” Sam held her head in her hands as she felt the tears burning in her eyes. "How could James do this to me?"

“Sam,what’s wrong honey?” She looked up to see him standing at the bottom of the stairs, his blonde hair still damp from the shower. He wasn’t perfect but, he was handsome, in a rugged way. They were both just country kids taking on the big city. He had muscles that were actually fading from their simple life; he wasn’t doing the work he used to do on the farm. But, it was James choice to stay in the city. She would have gladly followed him home. Her job at the paper was more of a pain than a passion to her. She loved to write but, she could do it anywhere. No, they stayed here because he loved it. He loved the flow of the city, the lights, and the parties. He was entertaining clients on a constant bases. His eye for perfection; had vaulted him quickly up the ladder in the ad agency that he worked for. He soon found himself in charge of big projects and this is where is excelled. He always gave the client what they wanted, it was easy for him. He was creative and charming. Sam looked at him with new eyes now.

“How could you do this to me?” she held the phone up for him to see, the tears finally breaking and rolling down her face.

“What? I don’t know what you are talking about honey?” He came over and crouched down in front of her. “Why are you crying?”

“Well James, it could be that you have been cheating on me, or maybe the fact that you have knocked up your little tramp? Yup that might be doing it.” Anger coursed through her veins like a bush fire, as she got up and walked from James, frantically wiping the tears from her face. “You are such a bastard!”

“What? Whoa. Where the hell is this coming from?” James was looking at her calmly with a confused expression.

“Really James, you are going to play the innocent routine? I have it right here. Little ‘Mackie’ forgot her pretty pink phone, left it opened too. I only got a chance to read a few texts. But hell, they are good ones.” she held the phone up waving it in his face.

“Mackie is a client, Sam; I don’t know what you are going on about. I swear, you act completely insane sometimes. I don’t know how the hell I’ve put up with you for so long.” James stomped into the kitchen.

Sam stood stunned watching him leave. She glared down at the phone in her hands. Was she wrong? She flipped through the texts.

“James, meet me at lunch honey, I have news.”

“At our spot, I will be there”

That was this morning. I guess James just got the good news today. Sam could feel her jaw aching from her subconscious teeth grinding. She walked into the kitchen.

“Don’t you fucking start Sam.” he threw at her before she could even open her mouth.

“Really James? This is the way you want to handle this?” Sam couldn’t believe that he was making this about her.

“Yes Sam, it is. You are acting like an insane person. I don’t even know Mackie that well. She is a client who left her phone in my office. I grabbed it on the way out with her file and my keys. All of which are sitting on the same table that you found her phone, if you would care to look. I’m sick of you jumping to conclusions. If you don’t trust me, then maybe you should just fucking leave.”

Sam was stunned, staring at him. Was she wrong? Was it just another James that this Mackie was with? But, she mentioned getting rid of me? Well, not me, but someone. Oh hell. Sam’s head was pounding. She sat the phone by the file and James’s keys and went upstairs to have a shower.

“Yeah, I though you would see reason, fuck you piss me off Sam. Everything I do for you. You know what, I’m going out." He grabbed the stuff from the table and stomped to the door. “Maybe you don’t want me to be here?” He slammed the door on his way out. The oven started to beep as the tears of frustration streamed down her face.


James headed to his car. His blood was boiling, but he wasn’t sure who he was more upset with, himself for leaving the phone on the table, or the little bitch Mackie for putting him in the position in the first place. He had wanted to monitor her phone for a couple of days; to make sure that no one was worried, but now he realized that it was stupid. They could probably trace the stupid phone. Fuck, Sam probably just saved his ass. He ran his hand through his hair as he pulled the battery from the stupid, pink phone, and jumped into his car. Smashing it in his hands, he drove off towards the river. He threw it over the bridge as he approached slowly, the last of Mackie flying into the cold water. Now, what the hell was he going to do about Sam?
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