THIS AWKWARD MOMENT

"I can barely hear you," she crackles, hardly audible,

"Could you repeat that?"

My call was forwarded from her home.

I didn't know they could do that.

She's on the road

away from me.

She's on the phone

her cel.

"Jon?" she says, "What did you say?"

This is not the way this moment should go.

This is not how she should respond

or I should have begun.

This should have been smooth

easy, beautiful.

This awkward moment

so poorly started

must immediately be aborted.

"Jon?" she asks, "Is that you?"

"Sorry," I say, "Wrong number."