somebody taped it to the bay door. i came back for a socket set and it was just there
my NAME is in it
my full name. the shop. foundry row. my dads name on the building
salo gave them my name
i've done that man's brakes twice
i did his alternator for PARTS
he told them how old i am
1:55 AM
my mom reads that magazine
she gets it at the salon
on mondays. it's monday in less than 24 hours
i can't get a full breath
i keep trying and it stops halfway and starts over
my hands are doing something
sorry
i shouldnt be texting you. you told me not to. i know you told me not to
delete these
im sorry im sorry
Delivered
1:58 AM
Jayce.
Stop typing.
Put the telephone face down on the bench and take your hands off it. I am not going anywhere. Thirty seconds. Then pick it up.
ok
ok i did it
Good. Now sit down. The floor is acceptable. The floor is better.
Both feet flat. Your back against something that will not move.
You are not dying and it is not your heart. Your body has decided there is a threat in that room and it is wrong. It will pass. It always passes. I know this from the inside and not from a book.
Stop chasing the breath in. Breathe out longer than you breathe in. The out is the one that does the work.
2:02 AM
ok
thats better
a little. yeah
Where are you.
shop
Alone?
yeah
May I come to you.
2:06 AM
no
im sorry
i need to be by myself a while. it isn't you. i just can't have anybody looking at me right now, not even you, especially not
thank you though. really. thank you
Very well. I will not come.
You will allow me one thing instead, and I am not asking.
I am going to telephone you in four minutes. You are going to lie down on whatever is nearest to you and you are not going to speak. I am going to read to you.
I have a book I have had since I was eight years old. You have seen it. It is the only thing I still own from before and it takes eleven minutes to read aloud.
I have never read it to anybody. I intend to read it more than once.
viktor
How long has it been since you slept, Jayce?
2:11 AM
what day is it
thursday. i slept thursday
That is what I thought.
Lie down. I am calling.
Audio CallIncoming · 2:16 AM4 hr 11 min
6:31 AM
you didn't hang up
i fell asleep somewhere in the middle and you just kept going
You went quiet at about ten past three.
I finished the page I was on. Then I stayed on the line, because I could hear you breathing and I wanted to be certain it stayed even.
It did.
four hours
I have had worse mornings, Jayce. Go back to sleep.