Grandpa: 1990-02-03
April 17, 2023•242 words
Beep.
“Sammy? Pick up Sammy-girl. Guess your not home yet. Listen… I need you to do something for me. Go out back of the shed and put my snow shovel away for me, okay? Tell Mom I’ll be home with supper for her later tonight. You kids order a pizza - I left some money in the change jar. Don’t go crazy though; I don’t want you two getting sick. Alright. Love you. Bye.”
Beep.
“Eddie - it’s Bill. It’s about 4PM on February 3rd. I need you to pick up a couple of packages from us and bring them to the warehouse. Standard rate. Let me know when you’re coming by.”
Beep.
“This message is for Mary Crawford. I’m calling from Dr. Evan’s office. It’s 5PM on the third of February. We have your test results back and the doctor wants to speak with you about them. Please give us a call at your earliest convenience. Thank you. Goodbye.”
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This cassette clearly came from an answering machine. It’s dated February 3rd 1990, but… why keep it? No one took these cassettes out unless they broke; you just erased them and kept going. What is the significance of this recording?
Mom… it’s hard to think of her being a teenager ordering a pizza. Did she call Dad that night? Did he know then what she was like? Did Mom already have an idea of what she would do to him?