Pay it forward
I sat up, shaking slightly from the sudden vibration. The immediate thought was emergency, but then I looked down and saw my roommate’s name flash across my phone screen. I groaned in irritation and sighed, flopping back down to possibly roll over back to sleep. But then that awful voice inside my head, the too-wise voice that sounds like my grandmother when she’s scolding me whispered, “But what if it is an emergency?”
I roll over and place my phone to my ear and answer it, “Hello?”
“Abby, I’m so annoyed. I need to vent. Please,” her voice comes through somewhat shaky.
“Okay,” I mutter groggily. I’m a sucker for a ‘please’.
Get JW’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
After an hour of listening to her complain about situations that have nothing to do with myself or even anything remotely important to me, I hang up and roll back over. The clock says two now, and my brain has already kickstarted. If I didn’t need the sleep so badly, I might be tempted to get up. I sit up and lay my hand on my dog’s belly, stroking her soft fur and she sighs, kicking up her paws into the air. I murmur to her quietly, cognizant of the house’s stillness.
Another moment passes, and suddenly the morning light is spilling through the curtains. I blink blearily, my eyes shifting around my room as I note I must have fallen asleep sitting up and petting my dog. My dog noses at my hand, her whine whistling too high. I glance over at the clock, surprised to find I am already running behind for plans with a friend. I jump out of bed and sprint into the bathroom.
I quickly brush my teeth and splash water onto my face. After running back into my room and throwing on some clothes, my dog and I are out the door for her walk. I quickly dial my friend’s number.
“Hey, I’m running behind,” I say when she answers.
“It’s fine. You okay?”
“Yes. Actually, no. I’m so annoyed right now. I need to vent. Please?”
