Sorry, Wrong Number

“Hello?”

“Hey there! How’re you doing?”

“Um, I’m okay.”

“Great! How’s Bobby?”

“How should I know? We broke up months ago. I don’t keep track of my ex-boyfriends.”

“Huh? Jill, is that you?”

“No, this is Emma Gordon.”

“Oh, sorry. I thought you were my sister, Jill.”

“Nope, I’m not. Sorry.”

“Well, I guess I’d better hang up now. I’m sorry to bother you.”

“It’s okay.”

“Out of curiosity, who is that Bobby guy you broke up with anyways? I mean, if he’s the same guy my sister’s dating I probably wanna know about him just in case he’s a jerk. I haven’t exactly met him yet. She met him online. In a chat room. You know how those things are.”

“Yeah. Bobby’s a total jerk. He cheated on me with a client of mine. A client! I couldn’t believe him. I found out from the stupid girl when she came in to talk to me and say that she’d changed her mind and didn’t need my help anymore because she had this other guy from the firm helping her. Bobby was the only guy in the firm—which shows something about him if you think about it; I mean, what sort of guy works for my kind of company? So I knew it was him and I confronted him. We broke up and he got fired for dating a client. That’s the story.”

“Sounds bad. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. He wasn’t worth it.”

“Where do you live?”

“Indiana.”

“Where in Indiana?”

“A little town called Brighton. Where do you live?”

“Indianapolis.”

“Cool. That’s only about twenty minutes away. Where’s your sister’s boyfriend live?”

“Um, I dunno. I’ll check. If he’s in Brighton, I’ll tell her to dump him.”

“Good. She doesn’t deserve a jerk.”

“Definitely. So, er, can I call you if I find out he’s there? Maybe you could help me convince Jill. She can be pretty stubborn sometimes.”

“Sure. You know the number?”

“555-6291?”

“6281.”

“Okay. I’ll call you.”

“Okay.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“You too.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

******
“Hello?”

“Hey Emma.”

“Hey! You’re the guy from the other day, right?”

“Yeah. My name’s Jack.”

“Cool. So, did you find out anything?”

“It’s the same guy all right. Brighton, Indiana, recently unemployed, and he’s told her that his last girlfriend was a workaholic and a control freak. That wouldn’t be you, would it?”

“Me? A control freak? Never. I just like to make decisions in a relationship sometimes. And I’m not a workaholic either.”

“Really? Are you at home right now?”

“Nope, on my cell phone.”

“At your office?”

“Eh heh heh…yeah. But I’m just getting finished up. I’ll be leaving in a few minutes, unless my boss catches me.”

“Is she mean?”

“An ogre.”

“Ugh.”

“Yeah. So, what are you going to do about Bobby and Jill?”

“I’ve already talked to Jill. She said she won’t believe it unless you tell her straight out.”

“I’d be happy to. How ‘bout meeting somewhere and I’ll give her all the facts?”

“Sure. Can you make it down to Indy? Maybe we could meet at a Starbucks or something.”

“I think I can get there. But I don’t go down much so I only know the major places. What if—hang on! My regular phone is ringing. I’ll get right back to you.”

“Okay.”

*****

“Hey again. Sorry. I’m back.”

“Great. So, who was on the phone?”

“My boss. She gave me a weekend assignment.”

“Ugh.”

“Actually, it’s not so bad. There’s been something going on at the Children’s Museum down in Indy. Something to do with their carousel. She wants me to check it out. So we could meet there in maybe, half an hour?”

“Sure. That sounds great! I’ll tell Jill.”

“Okay. Let me grab some things and I’ll meet you there in half an hour.”

“See you then.”

“See you then.”

“I’ll be the blonde woman in the business suit.”

“I’ll be the guy with brown hair and a red tee-shirt.”

“Okay. Bye.”

“Bye.”

*****
“Hey! Over here! Emma!”

“Hey! You must be Jack.”

“That’s me. And this is Jill, my sister. Jill, this is Emma Gordon.”

“Hey. So, you’re the girl who’s dated Bobby, right?”

“Right. And you’re the one who’s dating him now. Wow, he certainly got over his last girlfriend quickly. I only broke up with him three months ago.”

“We started dating two months ago.”

“Stupid jerk. He only dated that Barbie doll for a month. Idiot!”

“What happened to you?”

“Look at this. All the information’s in there.”

“A file folder? What is this, his personal record?”

“You could say that. Just look in it.”

“Okay.”

“So Emma, what do you do for a living?”

“I’m a detective.”

“Wow! A detective? Cool!”

“Read the folder, Jill.”

“Shut up, Jack.”

“You two are definitely siblings.”

“Thanks, I think.”

“Well, I’d better get up there and check out that carousel. You can keep the folder, Jill. I have other copies in my office.”

“Wait! Emma! Hey, wait up!”

“What, Jack?”

“Well, er, you see, I’m kinda looking for work, and well, I used to be a private investigator but business wasn’t too good. Anyways, I was wondering if you wanted helped with your case, so you can go home for the weekend. Because I can help you. If you want.”

“Aww, Jack, that’s so sweet of you. I guess you can help. But this doesn’t mean you’ll get a job at my firm if you help solve it. We don’t hire many guys.”

“I’ll do this for free, just for you.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

*****

“Hey partner!”

“Huh? Oh, Jack. Hey. What is it?”

“Six in the morning, Emms. Time to wake up.”

“You called to wake me up?”

“Yeah, because we have to be at the office in an hour. I know you need your beauty sleep, but don’t get too much or every guy you walk past will fall at your feet.”

“How do you know I wouldn’t like that?”

“Because I wouldn’t like it. You think I want some guy falling for my girlfriend?”

“Jack!”

“Well it’s true. You are my girlfriend.”

“I know, but you don’t have to brag about it, you dope.”

“I’m not bragging.”

“Yes you are.”

“No I’m not. I’m just really happy about it.”

“I’m happy too but I’m not announcing it to the world.”

“Oh go and get ready for work, Grumpy. I’ll see you at the office.”

“Bye Jack.”

“Bye Emma.”

*****

“Emma?”

“Jack! Two phone calls in one day! I just saw you fifteen minutes ago. Do you miss me that much?”

“Of course I do. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“Thanks.”

“I’m really glad I accidentally called you that day.”

“Me too.”

“Without you, Jill would still be dating that dope, I’d be out of work, and you’d be depressed workaholic.”

“I wasn’t depressed.”

“Okay. But you were a workaholic.”

“That I’ll confess to.”

“So you see, that wrong number was the best thing that ever happened to either of us.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“I love you, Emma.”

“I love you too, Jack.”

“How about meeting me for dinner?”

“Sure. Aunt Julia’s Café?”

“Half an hour. I’ll pick you up.”

“Okay. Bye.”

“Bye.”

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