Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!

The Phone Call

New York City

1976

Dena was now making more money than she knew what to do with. She actually had a savings account and one of the first things she did was to move to a new apartment in Gramercy Park, where she had always wanted to live. She had been out of town covering the Bicentennial in Washington and in Philadelphia, and had not had a chance to finish decorating. After living in her new apartment for six weeks, she still had not hung her pictures on the living room wall, and so she asked a studio set designer, Michael Zanella, to come over on Friday night to help her. He was now standing on her sofa in his socks trying to place a large mirror in the middle of the wall. Dena was eating a sandwich, guiding him, when the phone rang. She walked backward toward the phone and before answering told Michael, “A little more to the left … Hello,” she said, not taking her eyes off the wall.

“Dena? Uh … Miss Nordstrom?”

“Yes.”

“It’s Gerry O’Malley.”

“Who?”

“Gerry O’—Dr. O’Malley.”

After all these months? “Oh, yes, Doctor … how are you?”

Dena motioned for Michael to move the mirror just a hair to the right.

“Fine,” he said. “How are you doing?”

“Just fine, Doctor.” As she made an OK gesture to Michael, “What can I do for you?”

“Well, there is something I need to tell you. Actually, to ask you, really. But before I do, I think I owe it to you to be completely honest and up front with you. I think it’s only fair that you know exactly how I feel before you make a decision one way or another.”

“Uh-huh,” Dena said, only half listening. She walked over and touched the next picture and pointed to where she wanted it.

“You know, all my life I have heard that I would meet someone somewhere and no matter how well I knew them or how much or little time we had spent together, that person would just be it for me.”

Dena shook her head when Michael pointed to the wrong picture and nodded yes when he picked up the right one.

“And I have known for a long time that you are that person for me. And the truth is, I am, well, totally and completely mad about you. And have been from the first time you came into my office.”

“Oh?” Dena mouthed yes when Michael pointed to the next picture.

“I know this call must seem out of the blue but I have waited to give you some time. I wanted to call sooner … would you have dinner with me sometime?”

There was no answer on the other end.

“I’m sure you must think I’m insane and this is really bizarre of me to put you on the spot like this … or if you are seriously involved with someone else—”

“Dr. O’Malley,” Dena said, “can I call you back in a few minutes?”

“Oh! Well, sure.”

“It’s just that I have someone here and—”

“Oh—oh, I’m sorry. Sure.”

“I’ll call you back.”

Dena hung up, not really believing what she had heard. It was so out of the blue, it was bizarre. Maybe she had heard wrong or he was crazy or drunk or kidding or something. She did not know what to think so she forgot about it for the moment and kept on with the picture-hanging while she still had Michael there.

Gerry, on the other hand, was shaken. He had just made the most important phone call of his life and he had forgotten to give her his home phone number. He was too embarrassed to call back and hoped she would look his number up in the phone book. But she did not call back.

On Sunday night, he arrived at Elizabeth Diggers’s apartment with a pint of ice cream.

“Hi, Gerry, come on in the kitchen. I was just finishing my supper.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“That’s all right, glad to have the company.”

She noticed the bag. “What did you bring me?”

“Ice cream.”

“Oh, boy, just in time for dessert. You know the best way to a woman’s heart. Thanks.”

Gerry put the ice cream in the freezer and sat down at the table.

“What’s up? You sounded pretty upset on the phone.”

“Elizabeth, I am afraid I did a pretty stupid thing, idiotic, really, and I think you should know about it.”

“What did you do?”

“I called Dena.”

“Oh, dear … and?”

“I made a complete and total fool out of myself.”

“Gerry, I’m sure you didn’t make a fool out of yourself.” She said it but prepared for the worst. It had been her professional experience that men in love, even the most intelligent, are capable of doing some pretty stupid things.

“Well, ass would be a better word. So I wanted to tell you myself before you heard about it. I really just called to hear her voice. But then, when she answered, I just sort of lost it.”

She looked up from her plate. “What did you say?”

Gerry began to pace. “I said … I know this call might seem out of the blue … but ever since the first day I met you I have been absolutely mad about you … and that I had always heard that someday I would meet the one person in the world for me … and for me she was that person.…”

Diggers quietly put her fork down. “You said that?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh,” said Dr. Diggers. After a moment of silence she asked, “And what did she say?”

“She said, ‘Can I call you back … I’ve got someone here.’ ”

“Oh.”

“That was on Friday and she hasn’t called. So God knows what she thinks of me at this point and, of course, like a fool, I didn’t give her my home number. Anyhow, shall I drown myself now or wait a few more days?”

“I think you have a few more days left.” Dr. Diggers smiled, but thought to herself, Poor Gerry, he’s really done it now.