The Wrong Number

"Your kind gesture warms my heart, really." he said, and I giggled.

"People have always said I am a good girl" I sent. 

We kept texting that I forgot I was actually texting with airtime. I was disappointed when my text refused to send, indicating that I no longer had airtime.

"Damn," I cursed under my breath. I checked the time; it was still an hour before closing. I decided to round up and go home.

"Hope you are still alive"

I received a text from him, and I smiled. Though the text sounded absurd, it still made me smile and eager to reply—too bad I had no airtime. I hurried on my way so I could recharge and continue our chat. If only he were on WhatsApp or even Facebook.

"Seriously, are you still alive?" 

Well, I don't blame him. With the pace I was replying, it's normal for him to think something was wrong since I hadn't replied. After getting home, I quickly recharged my phone. I stopped using bank recharge when it made me use up my savings.

"Now who is missing who?" I quickly texted him. I smiled at the thought of him missing me.

"I was just looking out for you. I thought you might be lonely and thinking of suicide. 'You know the pain of loneliness is out of this world,'" he quoted Naruto again, and I giggled.

"I wasn't lonely; my airtime just got exhausted."

"Oh, I never thought of that."

Come to think of it, is he not bothered about his airtime? Well, maybe he has no one to use it on. After all, all he does is play games.

"I know you'd rather play games all day. How about you open up WhatsApp? At least it'll be easier to chat with you and also save my airtime," I texted and then started preparing what to cook for dinner.

"Why do I feel like you are wooing me?"

I laughed as I saw his text.

"Woo you? A forty-year-old virgin that still lives with his parents." I already pictured him as that. At least in that way, I could freely chat with him.

"Not to brag, but I'm way more handsome than any of your celebrity crushes."

"Well, I don't have any, so it doesn't count. And the fact that you're praising yourself means you're not handsome."

"Suit yourself, and I'm not opening any social platform. Ha!"

Is he trying to be annoying?

"I'll make you. Wait and see."

"You're welcome to try."

Did he just dare me? I'll get back at him.

"Wait for me. I want to fix something to eat. I'll get back to you," I texted as I opened the fridge and brought out a container that contained cooked meat. I wanted to prepare egusi soup.

"Alright. I wonder how awful it will taste," he texted, and I smiled but didn't reply.

I wondered why I was so free with him. Maybe it's because I had already told him my deepest secret. To him, I was naked with nothing to hide.

It took me more than an hour to prepare the soup and tidy up the kitchen. That's one good thing about living alone: I can effortlessly keep my house clean. When I lived with Jessica, she made it hard since she always found a way to rearrange what I had arranged.

"I can't remember any food that takes up to two hours to prepare," I received a text from him as I dished out the food. I smiled as I quickly placed the food down on the dining table.

"I'm so lovable that you can't do without me for long," I texted.

"It's just that I have nothing better to do." I narrowed my eyes at his text.

"So I'm your way to escape boredom?" I asked. Well, it's still good if that's what we are to each other.

"You should be happy, Miss."

"Wow, your ego can reach the sky." He clearly doesn't hide his feelings.

"Well, in your assumption, I'm a forty-year-old hag that jerks off, still lives with his parents, and plays video games. So, wouldn't you consider yourself special that I have to ignore my game, my jerking off, and a whole lot of other things just to text you?"

"It warms my heart that you think so highly of me."

"Don't mention it."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but my airtime will suffer if we keep texting each other,' I texted, then concentrated on my food. I'm not a big eater, but I love tasty food. I moaned as I swallowed the first morsel. I outdid myself this time.

"Well, I have no way to help the matter. There are ways to recharge and get bonuses. Why not use such ways?" Doesn't he know those ways exhaust faster? I ignored his text and kept eating.

"Let me guess—you're eating and ignoring me. How brutal." I smiled but still ignored him.
"Fine, I'll talk to myself." With his text, I pictured a very cute boy who was angry because his mother refused to buy him a toy.

"How cute," I replied since I was done eating.

"Now you reply."

"Haven't your mom told you it's not polite to talk while eating?"

"No. Sue me." Why do I feel like I offended him?

"It's just too tragic wasting my airtime when we can actually chat on WhatsApp."

"I'm not opening WhatsApp."

"You're really stubborn and prideful," I texted, as his stubbornness was already annoying me.

"You came to that conclusion yourself." I imagined him huffing.

"Well, I can't continue wasting my airtime. So long, mister," I texted, hoping it would make him change his mind.

"If you say so."

And I felt the ultimate feeling of rejection. I wasn't special enough for him to open WhatsApp. I refused to text him back. I've always tried to do things to please others, even if it meant displeasing myself. Not anymore. From here on out, I won't lower myself to be trampled on.

I put my phone down. Though sad, I refused to text him back. I guess this is the end of the friendship. It ended before it even started. Quite sad.