Anna’s Voicemail Box

Ashley carefully clipped three barrettes onto her bangs to hold them back, then three more on the other side. Her hair was bleached and dead, so the shape needed more taming than usual. She smiled, and  lightly tapped pink blush onto the apples of her cheeks

bzzz buz She reached for her phone, lake party tomorrow. She had already written it with juicy red ink into her planner. A beat up, old backpack hung droopily on her door. Inside was her planner, a book, and Ashley’s water from the day before. She grabbed it down, and placed her wallet, keys, phone, and ipod into the small pocket on the front, placing the straps on her shoulders one at a time. Remembering she was wearing her cargo capris, she grabbed her ipod out of her bag and added it securely into her pocket next to a receipt and a stick of gum.
Jumping off the last step, she practically landed inside her keds.
“Bye mom, going to the thrift, promise I’ll be safe, love you, bye!” She yelled out quickly before closing the door behind her. She grabbed her bike up from the ground, placed her bag into the basket, and made her way to Liberty Thrift. Ashley takes herself on a date every week, and today was no different. She got her keds at the thrift last week, and her cargos a few weeks before that.

She parked her bike kind of hidden off to the side of the thrift. As prepared as she is, she’s always forgetting her bike lock at home. Checking her bag again, she zipped it up and threw it over her right shoulder. Ashley knew exactly what she was looking for today, she had made a list. She walked in, a familiar scent filling her nose, and went directly to the shoes. She was hoping the flats she left behind last week would still be here. 

To no avail on her quest for the perfect shoes, she decided to take a gander at the electronic section. In just the past year, her CD collection has grown ten times the size, and she needed a new CD player. Strolling down the aisle, dragging her finger across the dusty shelves, she locked eyes with a floor-sitting CD player. Beautifully silver and a slot for cassettes, she planned to bring it to the front desk and ask to test it. She was prepared of course, with a CD in her bag. As she began shifting the weight of the cd player onto her body, she heard a small thud next to her foot. 

“Shit,” she whispered to herself, placing the CD player back on the shelf. Ashley bent down, pushing a stray hair behind her head, and picked up the pieces of this old Nokia phone off the ground.
“hm,” she looked at the phone and turned it around in her palm. Without thinking, Ashley placed the phone onto the CD player, balancing it as she walked towards the front. The cashier plugged in the CD player, and soon it began to sing:

Have you got colour in your cheeks?

Do you ever get that fear that you can't shift the type

that sticks around like summat in your teeth?

The phone didn’t come with a charger or a price sticker, but the cashier rang it as only a couple dollars, so Ashley bought it anyway. After a failed attempt to fit the CD player in her basket, she tried again and again and then she called her mom.

“I think you’re keeping this place in business, Ash.”

“Maybe, one pair of shoes at a time.” Then her mom punched her. 

“Punch buggy, that’s what? 20 to 11 now?” Her mom looked at her for a moment, beginning to laugh in her face.
“I’ll get you back for that,” Ashley laughed back at her mom, “do you have a-” she checked the phone in her pocket, “a Nokia charger?”

“Hmm, I’ll have to look when we get home.” She answered, “you find one at the thrift?”

“Mhm” Ashley replied.

The rest of the ride was silent, but pleasant. Ashley was so close with her mom that they sometimes ran out of things to say. They were too similar, bearing a striking resemblance to one another. The silence between them was pleasant and mutual. 

Ashley brought her CD player to the one messy corner or her room where all of her music was kept. She kept her mom’s old guitar in that corner, but she hadn’t yet told her that she’s been learning to play on it. 

“Hey Ash, found that charger.” Ashley’s mom said from behind the door, “and can you please keep your bike thing off the kitchen table?” Ashley pushed off the ground, headed to her door to get her charger and show her mom her eyeroll.
“Yes! Thank you!” She was too excited to roll her eyes. She plugged the phone into its charger and just stared at it like paint on a wall. 

Three hours later, Ashley woke up with no blush and her hair stuck to her face. She glanced over to the now powered up phone and rose too quickly in excitement. She shuffled through the settings and games for a bit, but the phone seemed to be wiped. Even the camera roll was wiped. Then she checked the voicemail box. Five messages from 2005, all from the same number.

She hesitated on this invasion of privacy, then pressed the first one, and a man’s voice began.

June 3, 2005.

“...Hey Anna, it's Owen from last night. I just wanted to call and let you know I had a really great time getting to know you, and I’m really glad Jared introduced us. I didn’t know Jared was friends with your crowd. Like… you know… just different people or whatever. I don’t know, maybe I’m just rambling, but I’m just happy we met, y’know? hold on,” muffled noises.. “Sorry..”

“Sooo anywayyyyy.... You uh, left your ipod in your chair’s cupholder when you left. I saw the last song playing was an Arctic Monkeys one, so I knew it had to be yours. Also, there was also, like, a curly blonde hair stuck to it... haha.. so, yeah.

“I have work today, then band practice tonight, so unfortunately the quickest you’ll be able to listen to your monkeys will be tomorrow.. if you'll be around I mean.. I could come by your house, or you mine. Or we could meet at the diner on 5th street. That one with the shitty mural that Amy painted of that guy. Shit, do you like Amy? don't tell her I said that, y’know it really isn't that bad.

"Well, uhh, see you.... hopefully...Okay bye.”

Ashley sat for a moment, disbelief settling in that it was an actual, meaningful message and not some short reminder or butt-dial. She listened to the message again, now taking a closer listen. There was a diner near her with an ugly mural on the side. Was it the same one? She slid on her keds and ran out to her bike

Now at the diner, she listened again and took a closer look at the mural, seeing Amy had signed it at the bottom. She entered the old diner and a similar smell to the thrift filled her nose again. She’d never been here before, but suddenly she was walking around as if she had. The owner had never heard of Anna or Owen before. She ordered a coffee and took a sip, gross. She listened to the next message.

June 5, 2005.

“Hey Anna, sorry about your shirt. Does chocolate come out of cotton? I can pay you back, or... well I fix it or something if it doesn't come out. Sorry though, I guess I get my clumsiness from my dad....

“Uhm.... I had a lot of fun though.... Despite the uh, ice cream situation. I guess we will have to see each other again so I can get my shirt back, soo, yeah haha… Did you straighten your hair? Or did you curl it the first time I met you? It looked nice, both times I mean. I hope you weren’t lying about liking the songs I added to your pod, but I figured you’d like them. I may have looked through your music a bit. ehh, well not really haha.

“Also, congrats on getting into Michigan state dude... or uh.. sorry, girl? Shit sorry, well congrats anyway… I’m still laughing to myself when I think about what you said about Amy's mural, it totally does look like.... y’know haha. Maybe you could offer to redo it for them, I saw you had a sketchbook in your bag tonight. Don't tell her I said that though....

“...yeah, I’m glad we didn’t end up eating at the diner, I’ve had their coffee…. I didn’t even know there was an ice cream place near 5th street, but it was definitely much better. I keep thinking about the bench too. Y’know, your “anna was here” thing. I wonder if that will still be there in, i dont know, 10 years, it’s like a cool time capsule. maybe we could go back, I’ll add mine.

“--WHAT? …… OKAY!... sorry Anna, my mom’s yelling from downstairs, I gotta go. Call me back, okay?”

Apparently the coffee has always been gross. Too bad she played the message on speaker in front of the owner. She laid a few dollars on the table next to her full cup, then ran out to her bike. 

“An ice cream place near 5th?” Ashley thought to herself, picking her bike up from the ground. She lived in a small town in Michigan, and there was only one ice cream place she could think of across town. She swallowed her pride, and walked back into the diner to ask the owner.
“There was an ice cream place a few streets down, they closed years ago. I think it’s a restaurant now. Olly’s maybe?” He said in a grumbly voice, glancing at her coffee cup.
“Thanks so much, coffee was great, okay bye thank you!” She yelled, already outside the door. She had seen Olly’s on her way here. It was a rundown burger place, and couldn't be much older than the diner, but there was a bench right outside the door. Ashley gazed over the old bench with wide eyes, far too invested in this unfolding story for her own good. She dragged her finger across the old wood, stopping on an only signature. 

Anna wuz here!

and so wuz Owen!

She stared for a while, confirming that these people were from here. She sat on the bench and let her body sink into the wood. Finger still on the carving, she pressed the third message

June 21, 2005.
“Hey Anna banana. I miss your face... I don’t know why I said it like that haha.. 

“Um...I hope I’m not the one that got you started on cigarettes... Have you, like, tried them before? I guess I was too cool to ask you in person haha. I don’t really smoke them a lot, an odd craving here and there. You looked natural with one.

“I guess I’m just calling because... well.. Did your dad see me climbing out your window? I heard him like, yelling or something, but I didn’t want to, like, get in your privacy or anything. I mean… I could meet them. only If you wanted, but like… I could come over for dinner or something. I don't know..

“I uh, I saw an arcade a few blocks from your house while I was driving home. It was on Franklin street, would you like that? like uh, would you like to go with me?

“Well anyway, I just really enjoyed talking to you, time goes by so fast when-...

Silence

“Sorry, I think my moms up. I had a great time with you. Goodnight, Anna."

Ashley didn’t think before she was on her bike again and peddling towards that old arcade. It was closed for renovation for years, but it opened again last year. She went with her friends once, it was okay. She hoped she would pass Anna’s house and just know when she saw it, but in no time she was at the arcade with no hairs raised on her neck. There was a bench outside. Ashley ran her fingers over it again, but there was no Anna in sight. She parked her bike up against the bench and sat phone in hand, pressing the fourth message.

July 27, 2005.
“Hey Anna, I haven’t stopped thinking about today. I didn’t know what to expect when like, you said you wanted to plan a day for us. You’re actually like, really good at the guitar. better than some of my bandmates haha…”

shuffling and laughing

“Shut up dude. Okay hold on Anna, sorry.”

shuffling... silence

“Sorry, I'm with Jared haha. So um yeah, I just, I loved the time we spent together today. We should swim at Rockwell again before the summer’s over. Oh.. by the way... you uhh, haha, you left your underwear in my car.. and um, well... My mom found them. I tried to explain that it was because we went swimming at the lake, but I don’t know, she didn't really believe me.

Hey, so uh.. My band has a gig at Frenzinio’s Pizza Bar this Saturday. I’d like for my girl-- or uh, well.. you would be in the front row. Show you off to my friends or whatever.

I’m seeing you tomorrow, right? Okay so uh, goodnight…… banana. Hehe”

Ashley felt her eyes begin to water. A time capsule of someone’s love was in her hands. She was there, where Owen and Anna had been in love. She gazed at the arcade, the one she once thought was just okay, and began to cry. She wasn’t sad, but felt so deeply for these people. She wiped her tears on her sleeve, rocking back and forth on her feet. Frenzinio’s was close, so she grabbed her bike and walked it to the pizza bar. She felt the breeze on her face, drying where her tears once were, and walked this block in a new, golden light. Frenzinio’s was in sight, bustling and busy, music heard from a mile away.

She grabbed a chair at the nearest empty table and hoped nobody would notice or take her order, she wouldn’t be there for long. The music was loud, so she pressed play on the last message and held it up to her ear.

August 18, 2005
“Anna... I don't know if you’ll hear this, but.... I need to talk to you. We can’t just.. end it like this. Anna I know you’re going off the college, but.. well I don’t know, Michigan State isn't that far. I’m just, I don't know. Meet me tomorrow, the pier.

Please call me back, I just... I love you Anna. please.”

Ashley began crying the second he spoke. His voice was broken, he was crying too. She put the phone on the table and her head in her hands.
“Hi, my name is Amelia and I’ll be your server today,”  a voice above her said, “can I get you anything to drink?”
Ashley stared up at the woman. She was blonde like Ashley, her roots grown out an inch and her eyeliner too far away from her waterline. She looked to be about 40. Her fingernails were painted red, and her hands were covered in paint. She smiled at her.
“I like your mural,” she stated, “the one over at the diner.” The woman stared at her, confused.
“Wh- How did you know I did that?” She looked at Ashley.

“Oh uh, my mom told me.” Ashley muscled a smile at Amy, thanked her for her time, and left Frenzinio’s quickly. She grabbed her bike from its place against the restaurant, and peddled towards the pier. She felt the breeze of the days end across her face and in her hair. The sun had just begun to fall as the streetlights lit her path. 

Though she had never been to the pier, she felt chills as she approached. She parked her bike at the entrance, and walked down the pier. She took each step thoughtfully, taking in the magical moment of the sunset from the pier. She stood at the end of the pier and gazed upon the water. As the sun began to set further, Ashley walked down the old pier, closing her eyes and taking in this feeling. She heard footsteps near the entrance to the pier. She opened her eyes and picked up her pace slightly, a sudden thought crossed her mind, her bike lock was still at home. Somebody could be stealing it. She saw a figure appear on the pier and she sighed, her bike was fine. She moved to the left to give him room to pass, and the scent of cigarettes filled the air. Following the scent was a man. He slowed, just barely, as he passed, and Ashley glanced up without meaning to. His mouth parted slightly, like he was about to say something. His eyes caught on her, then he kept walking. She made it back to her bike, and her phone began to ring.