"So they don't think she's going to make it through the night," voice cracking under the sadness as he speaks on the phone. "You still there," he asks the person on the other line.
He just called to tell someone his grandmother won't make it through the night. I'm not sure who is on the other line but it's taking a while for them to gather their thoughts. He pauses and uses his free hand to rub his temples. He seems frustrated with the entire situation. I can't blame him. I'm sure I would feel the same way if I was going through this.
"Alright, I'll see you when you get here. I've got a few more people to call. Love you too," he says hanging up the phone. He scrolls through the phone looking for the next number. He picks one but then starts scrolling again, clearly that one wasn't wort the time. I wonder what's wrong with his grandmother. Is she old? He doesn't look to be that old. Is it cancer? No this seems sudden for cancer. Did she break a hip? I'm not sure it's deadly but I once heard somewhere that if an older person breaks a hip it can cause a lot more health issues. Like a horse, with a leg. That's a horrible thing to think. Not sure why it came to mind.
"Uncle Sal," he starts the conversation, as I bite into my slice of pizza. It's still too hot, and burns the roof of my mouth. I chomp at it while sucking in air and swallowing pieces quickly. I play with the burnt skin on the roof of my mouth as I hear him have the same conversation with Uncle Sal that he's had with the last three people he's called. This one is brief, Uncle Sal must be in a hurry. He looks relieved hanging up this call.
He catches me staring over and shoots back a look of confusion. I put my head down and stare at my lunch. I don't think it was that obvious I was looking at him. I guess I couldn't help it. Mom always did say I had a staring problem. I blow cool air onto my pizza as he starts scrolling through the phone for the next call.
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