The Missed Call
Listen To The Following Reading
Melissa kept checking her phone, hoping to see a message from her friend Kristy. She waited for minutes that turned into hours. Melissa sent a few more texts and still got no reply.
While she was waiting, Kristy was sitting at the hospital comforting her ill mother, surrounded by nurses, doctors, and endless tests. Her phone had died, and she waited for a chance to charge it.
Melissa finally decided to go to bed and said,
“I think I’ve held back enough, and I don’t want to jump to any conclusions, but I reached out and got nothing. It’s really starting to get under my skin.”
At the hospital, Kristy sat beside her mother’s bed. Her mother asked how she was doing, and Kristy replied,
“I’m holding it together and hanging in there. I know Melissa probably thinks I dropped off the face of the earth, and I hope I don’t come across as if I’m giving her the cold shoulder.”
Discussion Prompts
Explain what Melissa was feeling in this situation.
What did Melissa mean when she said:
held back
jump to any conclusions
reached out
get under my skin
Explain what Kristy was feeling at the hospital.
What did Kristy mean when she said:
holding it together
dropped off the face of the earth
come across
What do their feelings and words tell you about their friendship and how they handle distance or silence differently?
