The coin nested in its slot. Waiting to once again travel its cycle.
Dan stared ahead, listless. He pressed the receiver hard against his temple and felt his pulse throbbing. He ached with each pounding beat. A drilling reminder of the other heart that lay still. His blood pumped furiously through his system and every fiber of his being wanted to tear itself apart.
But instead he stood, visibly shaking, but nearly frozen.
Clink.
"Hellllooo. You've reached Sarah's voicemail. Which means I'm not here. Leave a message please. Tthhhaaannkkksss!" Click. rattle-rattle. Chunk.
The normally cheerful melody of Sarah's voice seemed strained. Somehow, different and unlike the thousands of times he had heard it before.
Clink.
"Hell1l0oo. You've reached Sarah's voicemail. Which means I'm not here. Leave a message....PLEASE....please...." Click. rattle-rattle. Chunk.
Her voice continued to change. Dan swore he heard her pleading and it shook him to his core. He hesitated, but relented. Clink.
"Hel1l10o0. You've reached Sarah's voicemail. Which means I'm not here... LEAVE!" Click. rattle-rattle. Chunk.
Dan jerked. What?!?
Clink.
"Hellll0oo. You've reached Sarah's voice-,,,,," Click.
rattle-rattle. Chunk. Clink.
"H31111000.... Y0U!!!!!."
Dan dropped the receiver and stared at the mouthpiece from where the mechanical snarling had screamed at him. His mind raced. How many of her heart beats had he wasted? How much time had he insisted she spend tirelessly fighting for the miraculous? the improbable? the inevitable? And now she had quietly slipped away while he slept. The final nail in a coffin of guilt, regret, shame, and ultimately self-loathing.
All those years of fighting had ultimately accomplished what exactly? at best they had given her an extra couple months, months which were also spent fighting. Dan shuddered.
Is this all life is? Delaying death?
Dan had pondered that question frequently. Without fulling realizing it, he had lightly rested his hand against his wallet. Where a small note was kept. Dan's ultimate secret. Secret even from Sarah. It read simply: "I'm sorry. The darkness has won."
Almost in a trance, Dan walked from the booth. Completely lost, but knowing exactly where he was going.
