12 KBPS Summers Ch 3 : Stretchy Chords

​In the middle of the hallway sat the undisputed ruler of household communications: a heavy, black rotary dial landline phone.

 It didn't just sit on any ordinary furniture; it had its own dedicated small wooden stool, draped with a delicate white lace-trimmed cloth - crocheted by hand by Nupur's grandmother years ago and accompanied by a tiny spiral notepad with a blue ballpoint pen tied to a string. ​ Yes thats how notes were taken. Any phone number, information, name of the train anyone boarded on, the time it was arriving, every details noted on that.


It was a blistering Saturday afternoon, and Nupur had been eyeing the phone for two solid hours.

 Today was the day her cousin was supposed to call from Cuttack to give the final verdict: were they coming over to stay for the summer holidays or not? ​

At 2:45 PM, Nupur officially took her station on the cool mosaic floor right beside the stool. ​

"Nupur, don't sit right in the doorway, people will trip," Mom called out from the kitchen, the rhythmic clinking of afternoon prep in the background.
"And don't hover over it! What if your father's office calls?"

 "I'm just waiting, Mom! Aunty said they’d call after lunch once Uncle checks the train timings!" Nupur said, her eyes glued to the brass bell hidden inside the heavy plastic frame. ​

Dad walked past, pausing to glance at his wristwatch.

 "If they come, your quiet summer mornings are over," he teased, tapping her gently on the head with his folded newspaper. "Just make sure you don't snatch the phone so fast that you startle poor Aunty." ​

Every tiny house sound made Nupur jump. The click of the refrigerator door, the whir of the Usha ceiling fan, the neighbor's gate creaking - each one teased her ears. She traced her fingers along the familiar, bumpy pattern of her grandmother's handmade lace cover, then picked up the heavy, cool black receiver just to hear the steady, reassuring dial tone: Tnnnnnnnnn.

 She quickly placed it back on the cradle, terrified of accidentally blocking the line for even a second. ​

Then, at 3:02 PM, it happened. ​TRRRRRRRING! TRRRRRRRING! ​The sharp, loud metallic ring echoed through the entire house. ​Nupur snatched the receiver on the second ring, pulling the stretchy, tangled cord as far as it would stretch. ​"Hello? Aunty?!" she blurted out, her heart doing a little happy flip. ​

"Hello! Nupur?" came the crackly, distant voice on the line, followed by her cousin shouting eagerly in the background. "Tell her we got the tickets! We're coming on Tuesday!" ​

Nupur grinned from ear to ear, curling the coiled wire tightly around her finger as she leaned back against the hallway wall. The tense wait was oversummer vacation was officially about to begin.

She did a happy dance screaming and running around informing everyone.