Genevieve waited with an anxious heart as the phone rang. She struggled to calm herself. She was looking forward to talking to her parents, but knew that they must have been tremendously worried. Genevieve couldn’t imagine what the past few months had been like for them.
“Hello?” Came her mother’s sweet, familiar voice over the phone.
“Mom?” Genevieve said, tears forming in her eyes, “Mom, it’s me.”
She heard her mother gasp over the phone, thousands of miles away.
“Eve? Oh honey, you’re okay! Oh, thank God!” She could hear laughter and relief in her mother’s voice.
“Yeah, Mom, I’m okay. Ethan is too. Did you see us on television?”
“Yes honey, and I nearly fell over, I was so surprised! We were so worried, we thought that you were… Well, you’re fine, so it doesn’t matter now.” Her mother answered. “You looked so tan and tired. Haven’t you been sleeping well?”
“Yes, it’s just been a long couple of days.” Genevieve answered. “How is everyone? Dad and Gran, Gwen?”
“They’re all excited. Gwen especially. She’ll be bragging at school tomorrow how you were on TV. When are you coming home?”
“Soon, I hope. The police and airline have to talk to us some more about the crash, and there are all the reporters. I’ll call as soon as we know anything. I just wanted you to know that we were okay, and to hear your voice.”
“It’s good to hear yours, too, honey. Is Ethan there?”
“He can’t come to the phone, he’s with the others talking about the conference. He told me to say hello.”
“Well, give him our love and tell him to call as soon as he gets the chance.”
“I will, Mom. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Genevieve.” Her mother said. “Oh, I almost forgot. Hope was here. She stayed a few weeks, and then had to go back to school for exams. She was worried about the two of you. She called once she saw you on television. She wanted me to tell you she was here, and said that you should tell Ethan.”
“That’s great! I can’t wait to see her. I have to go, Mom. Love you.”
Genevieve handed Evan the telephone.
“Thanks for waiting. I know you probably want to call your mom.”
“No big deal,” he smiled. “Everyone wants to let their folks know that they’re okay. I wouldn’t have minded if you talked to your family longer.”
“I can always call them later. There are still a lot of reporters waiting, and I think Mr. Lamb wants us to talk to them.”
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5 comments
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November 10, 2007 at 10:00 pm
Suzanne Francis
“It” in the second sentence could be her heart or the phone.
I don’t really get any feeling from the conversation as to why she was so anxious about talking to her mother. If it’s because there is some history between them that I haven’t read yet then that’s cool. Otherwise then it could use some more filling out. Conversations are a great way to explore tensions, with stops and starts, and things left unspoken.
November 11, 2007 at 12:55 pm
nomananisland
I thought that this sentence made her anxiety clear: “She was looking forward to talking to her parents, but knew that they must have been tremendously worried.”
She’s been missing for months, according to the last two chapters, so in all likelihood her parents have been worried that she was dead. She’s worried about how they’ve been, and so she’s nervous about calling them. The anxiety is before the conversation, not during. Perhaps anxious isn’t the right word?
December 24, 2007 at 6:12 am
sonjanitschke
I echo Suzanne Francis’s thoughts that the conversation could be fleshed out more (especially why she had to go so suddenly). I also understand what you were saying in response to Suzanne, but I still think it needs to be fleshed out.
Wow. How’s that for repetitiveness?
January 16, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Katie
She heard her mother gasp over the phone, thousands of miles away.
“Eve? Oh honey, you’re okay! Oh, thank God!” She could hear laughter and relief in her mother’s voice.
Should that be Evie, or was it intentionally Eve? Either nickname works for Geneveive, she just hasn’t been called Eve before, so I wondered.
January 16, 2008 at 9:15 pm
nomananisland
The only people who call her “Evie” are Ethan and Gwen. It sounds like a nickname from childhood to me, and so she only accepts it some of the time. From everyone else she wants to be an adult, so she prefers the more maturing sounding “Eve.” I would have to check, but I’m surprised at myself if this is the first time I used it. I tend to use it more than anything else.