A Really Good Phone Call

  I normally don't like answering the telephone if I don't recognize the number of the person calling. I'm always afraid it will be some awkward situation, like a wrong number or someone who knows me but who I can't remember at all. Or it could be an annoying caller, like a telemarketer, or someone begging for donations for one of the thousands of noble causes out there, or the census bureau. But, since I am supposed to be a responsible adult, I force myself to answer calls from random phone numbers, no matter how suspicious the area code might be. Sometimes I'm glad I do. A few days ago I got a call from a strange out-of-state number. When I returned the call I was pleasantly surprised that the person responded "Oh, hey Natalie! It's me, Leslee." Being in the military you never know what "state" your friends might be calling from. Or at least what state they were in when they got their cell phone numbers.
  Today I got a call from a really bizarre phone number. I was pretty sure that no one from the area code "808" would be calling me. I took a deep breath and answered, hesitantly...
 "Hello...?"
  There was a pause and I wondered if I was about to hear some automated message start playing.
  "Hey babe, it's me!"
  It was my husband! I hadn't heard from him in almost a week! He was calling from a satellite phone in some remote area of Afghanistan. Oh, it was so good to hear his voice. And Elijah hadn't gone down for his nap yet, so he got to hear daddy's voice, too. Not that he really understood what it all meant. We chatted a bit and he told me that they got the popcorn popper already. I put enough insurance on it that they must have put it high on their priority list. I asked him if they'd used it yet and he said they haven't. They're looking for a good place to put it before getting it all unpacked and set up. So the 3rd CEB guys have a popcorn popper now!
  We weren't able to get much of a conversation in. Satellite phones are notoriously unreliable. But it was a great relief to hear his voice and know that he was safe. The last thing he was telling me before the phone cut out was that he sent a late birthday card for Elijah and some sand from the desert over there.