Goodbye

Don’t you just hate goodbyes? I am reminded of an old school friend who would end a conversation by saying “Well I’ve had enough of this conversation.” Click. And just like that, I had been hung up on. I remember standing with the receiver to my ear as nosey onlookers gaped at me. “I’ll see you again tomorrow. Ok then. Cheers”, I spoke to the engaged tone and then demurely hung up. I just couldn’t end it that abruptly - not in front of all those people. The girl who hung up on me wasn’t angry or anything, she just decided to shed her conventional pleasantries. Later she shed her bra too, amassed dreadlocks and her alternative proclivities disappeared into a haze of bong smoke. I never saw her again. All I wanted to say was, “I’ll see you soon. Sleep well. Uh huh, uh huh. That’s nice. Thanks for calling.” But all I had was the raspy click of the receiver and the whine of the engaged tone like a recently deceased heart monitor. “Goodbye”, I murmur to the darkness.