A Phone Call Away (Part 2)
A Phone Call Away (Part 1)
Jesse had been clinging to his cellphone ever since Mike’s first call. Mike had been calling a few times a month, but they happened at such random times that Jesse had just become braced to answer it whenever it rang. It vibrated in his hand.
“Mike?” Jesse answered excitedly.
“Hey Kid,” Mike said wearily on the other end.
“Hey…what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Miiike,” Jesse prodded. “You said you can trust me…that we don’t have to have any secrets any more…Come on, tell me what’s wrong.”
“It’s just hard, Kid,” Mike admitted, sounding more downtrodden than Jesse had ever heard him. “I’m old and all this moving around and being on my guard is getting to me.”
“And…and you’re all alone?” Jesse guessed.
“Yeah that’s getting to me too. I miss my granddaughter…and you.”
“I miss you too…but, hey, I got some good news. Mr. White finally stopped being an asshole.”
“How so?” Mike asked, only mildly interested.
“He gave me my money…well…our money.”
“Does he know we’ve been talking?” Mike asked apprehensively.
“No…” Jesse said, wondering why that would be a problem. “But he paid me ten million, five for you and five for me.”
“Did he say that?”
“No, he just left four bags of cash on my doorstep. Took forever to count one bag, then I just multiplied by four.”
Mike was silent.
“Mike? You there?”
“Kid, were you planning on bringing that money to me?”
“Well yeah,” Jesse said uneasily. “I was thinking we could meet up somewhere and I’d give you your share and… we could spend a few days together…”
“I wish we could, Jesse.”
“Why can’t we?” Jesse asked, crestfallen.
“The way I’m living….Kid, you should only come find me if you’re planning to stay.”
“But Mike, your money-“
“I can make do without it. I’m not exactly eating out of trash cans.”
“Well, how about this….I can set aside some of it for Kaylee, just like you wanted.”
“Jesse, that’s sweet of you and I’d like that, but no…it’s your money. You keep it.”
“Mike, you earned this money…you earned it way more than me. You worked your whole life to leave her something behind. I’m setting three million dollars aside for her,” Jesse said sternly.
“Jesse. That’s about a million dollars over what I earned.”
“Keep talking I’ll make it four million,” Jesse said with a little smirk.
“Oh, I see how it is,” Mike said, apparently brightening at Jesse’s teasing. “Three million, and if something happens to me then leave her all of it.”
“Mike, are you in trouble?” Jesse asked, worried.
“No Kid, I’m just covering the bases.”
“Oh…So…if I was ready to be with you…like forever…”
“I want you to think about it long and hard first, Jesse. Of course, you aren’t officially on the run so you could talk to Andrea and Brock, maybe even visit, but not without putting me at risk.”
“I don’t want that,” Jesse said solemnly. “I’m just glad you’re okay. I miss you, Mike.”
“You want me to call more often?”
“I want to see you.”
There was a long silence.
“Kid, I gotta go.”
“Okay.”
“Think about it, okay? Think long and hard and if you still want to, I’ll take you in a heartbeat.”
“Kay…I love you, Mike. Bye.”
“Love you too, Kid. Bye.”
A Phone Call Away (Part 3)
Jesse had been clinging to his cellphone ever since Mike’s first call. Mike had been calling a few times a month, but they happened at such random times that Jesse had just become braced to answer it whenever it rang. It vibrated in his hand.
“Mike?” Jesse answered excitedly.
“Hey Kid,” Mike said wearily on the other end.
“Hey…what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Miiike,” Jesse prodded. “You said you can trust me…that we don’t have to have any secrets any more…Come on, tell me what’s wrong.”
“It’s just hard, Kid,” Mike admitted, sounding more downtrodden than Jesse had ever heard him. “I’m old and all this moving around and being on my guard is getting to me.”
“And…and you’re all alone?” Jesse guessed.
“Yeah that’s getting to me too. I miss my granddaughter…and you.”
“I miss you too…but, hey, I got some good news. Mr. White finally stopped being an asshole.”
“How so?” Mike asked, only mildly interested.
“He gave me my money…well…our money.”
“Does he know we’ve been talking?” Mike asked apprehensively.
“No…” Jesse said, wondering why that would be a problem. “But he paid me ten million, five for you and five for me.”
“Did he say that?”
“No, he just left four bags of cash on my doorstep. Took forever to count one bag, then I just multiplied by four.”
Mike was silent.
“Mike? You there?”
“Kid, were you planning on bringing that money to me?”
“Well yeah,” Jesse said uneasily. “I was thinking we could meet up somewhere and I’d give you your share and… we could spend a few days together…”
“I wish we could, Jesse.”
“Why can’t we?” Jesse asked, crestfallen.
“The way I’m living….Kid, you should only come find me if you’re planning to stay.”
“But Mike, your money-“
“I can make do without it. I’m not exactly eating out of trash cans.”
“Well, how about this….I can set aside some of it for Kaylee, just like you wanted.”
“Jesse, that’s sweet of you and I’d like that, but no…it’s your money. You keep it.”
“Mike, you earned this money…you earned it way more than me. You worked your whole life to leave her something behind. I’m setting three million dollars aside for her,” Jesse said sternly.
“Jesse. That’s about a million dollars over what I earned.”
“Keep talking I’ll make it four million,” Jesse said with a little smirk.
“Oh, I see how it is,” Mike said, apparently brightening at Jesse’s teasing. “Three million, and if something happens to me then leave her all of it.”
“Mike, are you in trouble?” Jesse asked, worried.
“No Kid, I’m just covering the bases.”
“Oh…So…if I was ready to be with you…like forever…”
“I want you to think about it long and hard first, Jesse. Of course, you aren’t officially on the run so you could talk to Andrea and Brock, maybe even visit, but not without putting me at risk.”
“I don’t want that,” Jesse said solemnly. “I’m just glad you’re okay. I miss you, Mike.”
“You want me to call more often?”
“I want to see you.”
There was a long silence.
“Kid, I gotta go.”
“Okay.”
“Think about it, okay? Think long and hard and if you still want to, I’ll take you in a heartbeat.”
“Kay…I love you, Mike. Bye.”
“Love you too, Kid. Bye.”
A Phone Call Away (Part 3)