When I was a kid, there were no cell phones or computers. Moreover, in some neighborhoods most houses had no telephones. It was very common for neighbors to lend their gadgets and even receive calls for their nearby neighbors.
Those phones were big, black. They had a rotating disc on the front where all the numbers were from zero to nine. To make a call, you had to place your finger on the corresponding number and turn the disc to the stop number by number.
Wrong and tied calls were frequent. Calls were also not recorded and the answering machine had not been invented. It was other times...
This happened in those days.
Alicia and Liliana were sisters and cousin sisters of Patricia and Susana. All four of them besides cousins were friends. They loved to play together. They dressed up, one day they became cooks, one day teachers and one day nurses. The truth is that the four cousins were entertained without disturbing and without fighting for hours.
For that reason, one day the two couples decided to go to the theater together and leave the four girls playing in the apartment.
The smallest was Susy, 11 years old. Biggest Alicia, she had a torce. Lily and Pato were 12 years old.
The apartment was safe and everyone knew each other, the girls knew how to behave and never had any problems, so they were eager to live a new experience by being alone for two or three hours.
The girls were happy and in a way felt grown up.
They left the dolls and ventured into the theme makeup using the rouge and the eye shadows they found. Then the nails were filed and different shades of polish were applied.
While they were so devoted to manicure, Pato saw the Phone Book and began to look through it looking for surnames that would be funny to him. So they discovered surnames like Gallo, Gordo, Sparrowhawk, Castillo, Rojo, etc. And they kept laughing imagining funny jokes.
Alicia was the one who enjoyed the most. Suddenly he said, “Let's call and see that they answer.”
And they gathered all around the phone with an accomplice smile.
Susy, the youngest, was appointed secretary. She had to write down neatly the names and numbers of the recipients of her jokes.
Liliana said compunged: - Mom will challenge us, she will put us in penance until the end of the year -
Alicia, without giving her time or breathing, restructured, “Mom is not going to find out unless someone told her — and she added, “I hope you shut your big mouth. “ Swear with your hand in your heart that you will not tell him,” he said solemnly.
Oh, Lily said — Leave me alone.
No! No! Said Duck- You have to swear you're not going to say anything.
It's all right. I swear — Lily replied in a whisper.
“For Cannella- “said Duck adding - and don't cross your fingers on your back.
Once Lily's solemn oath was obtained, they set out to make the corresponding calls: Mr. Rooster was asked about his chickens, Mr. Fat was offered a diet, Mr. Sparrowhawk was offered a cage, Mr. Castillo was offered to move to a ranch, Mrs. Red was asked what he intended to do this year blue was in fashion and so they continued to be laughed by neatly scoring their recipients and the various insults they received from their innocent victims.
The game had become fun and even Lily participated enthusiastically by suggesting new jokes.
This hobby of the phone had turned out to be a success. It was the first time they received insults of such magnitude and their jaws hurt from laughing.
As they pointed out a new list of victims and proposed the messages, the phone rang.
Alicia, the eldest answered thinking it was her parents to control them: - Hello! Hey, hey! - she said calm. On the other side of the line, classical music was played. - Hello! Hey, hey! He repeated it again... but on the other side only the chords of a distant violin were heard.
He cut and kept preparing his game.
When they were about to start their phone raid, when they lifted the tube they did not hear the characteristic tone but a loud and sound breath in the headset. Hey, hey! - Alice repeated and beckoning her cousins to keep quiet, she passed the tube to share the strange sound. But this one, he turned into a loud, unfamiliar laugh. It was a man's voice.
Hey, hey! She screamed Alicia. On the other side a long silence and then a loud voice whispered to him, “I know you are alone.”
Alicia hung the tube and terrified communicated the message to her sister and her cousins.
“He's looking at us,” Dato babbled.
Lily left to cry and Susana accompanied her tearing with a scary face.
Turn off the light! Alice ordered. Duck ran to immediately fulfill the cunning decision of his cousin. Now the most girls redoubled their cry.
Quiet! Quiet! Shut up, please! - Duck yelled at them.
Alicia and Pato peeked nervously out of the window to search the neighboring departments while the little ones cried in their arms.
Suddenly they heard the sound of the elevator starting. They ran to stick their ear against the door and ran the lock. They heard the door open and steps on the driveshaft.
They held their breath with effort.
The chair — whispered Alice. Between them they pushed the heavy armchair against the door, but in the midst of the prevailing darkness, the nerves and tears of their younger sisters carried a lamp that fell by exploding the lights and a mouse table with ornaments minted over the years by the housekeeper who collapsed and crispy as if broken as they heard the sound of water contained in a vase falling on the carpet.
But they managed to run the chair and they felt safe.
The two cousins sat motionless on the armchair in silence in the dark.
Cinnamon, the cat mewed, and as if she knew what was going on, she curled herself in the arms of Lily, her owner.
They wished that their parents would come to rescue them, and the minutes never seemed so long.
The black phone was the only object that remained in the usual place and none of them encouraged to touch it.