My Cardboard Balcony

by Belinda Roddie "I always told you not to take phone calls when you didn't know who it was coming from." "Uh-huh." "But noooooo. You just had to pick up the phone anyway." "Uh-huh." "Twice." "Yep." " For the same number." "Dude, chill. It's not like he was a Nigerian prince." " He was a scammer!" "Yeah, and it was fucking hilarious." "John." "I mean, c'mon, man! It was like he forgot he called me the first time! 'Excuse me, sir, did you know that there is a virus in your Windows?'" "Yeah, and you made the same joke to him, too. Both times." "He didn't seem to get it, though." "How in the world do you think that's fun?" "Because I love making people squirm! You know that, Aaron!" "Oh, I do. All too well." "I think if t...

When Grandpa got the call from my father that he would be visiting in the next few days, he was furious. I could tell even though he kept his voice level, simply by how he aggressively stirred his coffee and how his hands shook when he clutched the mug. I tried to ask him about it - whether or not we could just tell my dad to stay away, especially after what he had done to my mom - but he refused to respond to any of my questions. So I left him alone, until the day came.