A Text To My Dad

Sasuke sat sitting in his living room, ankle over knee reading his latest library find. It was a pretty good read. Slow start but picked up nicely around the second chapter. He found something magical about the way Preston and Child could come together and create a whole world that one could easily immerse themselves in. One standing lamp illuminated himself and his immediate surroundings while Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata played on his old school record player. He adjusted himself slightly, sliding deeper into the buttery leather armchair. His tea sat on a side table forgotten and cold next to his cell phone.

BUUUZZZZZ.

He glanced up in surprise as the phone vibrated. A hard blink refocused his slightly strained eyes. He picked it up and glanced at the screen firstly taking note of the late time.

It was midnight.

He tapped the screen to open the text bypassing his sunset lock screen. The screensaver of his cat was partially covered by the indication of a new text message. No name. Just an unfamiliar number. Curious, he tapped the text and read it's contents.

Hello. I know It is late and I am sorry.

This is probably incredibly rude actually.

But this used to be my father's phone number.

He died two years ago tonight at midnight.

The thing I miss the most is hearing his voice

And texting him every once in a while.

I just wanted to get it out my system one last time.

I won't bother you again.

Just let me say...

I miss you daddy.

Goodbye.

Sasuke's dumbfounded expression softened into sympathy. He himself had lost his parents as a child and still felt that loss keenly on the anniversary of their passing. He reread the text again and again wondering if he should do something. Would it be weird to respond? Was this a prank? He could easily just let it go and forget it. Pretend that his was an unclaimed number and that the text was lost to cyber space. Yet it seemed incredibly cold, even for him, to just let the sender believe that their desperate call of sorrow was unheard. After a moment's deliberation, he let his finger swipe across the screen.

My dad is gone too. I am sorry for your loss and I feel your pain.

He replaced his phone on the table and continued to read. He got in about three more chapters before he felt himself surrendering to slumber. He got up, turned off his light and his record player, took a quick but thorough shower and went to bed.

The phone lay abandoned on the side table.

Sasuke awoke the next day to Joshua laying next to him burrowed adorably at his side. He tried to stretch subtly so as not to awake his slumbering companion. No such luck. A green eye slitted open and regarded him judgingly.

"I didn't invite you into my bed. Just sleep in your own."

Joshua opened the second eye and gave him a look that said "as if I am sleeping in that cheap thing" before promptly sneezing in Sasuke's face.

"Goddamit!" he yelled wiping the spittle from his chin in grossed out aggravation. Joshua stood up stretching languidly while being sure to present Sasuke with his pristine, pink and freshly groomed anus before sashaying to the foot of the bed, hopping down and leaving the room. Sasuke watched him leave, shaking his head and wondering why he adopted the damn cat in the first place. He went about his morning ritual of morning grooming and then went to the kitchen to make breakfast. As his cheesy eggs sat heating in the skillet he glanced about for his phone before suddenly remembering that he left it last night in the living room. He walked over to retrieve it noticing that he had two texts. One was from Itachi and the other was from the unknown number from last night. He glanced at his brother's text seeing that it was nothing more than a confirmation that they would have dinner tonight before opening the other text.

Orphans Unite

Sasuke breathed out a chuckle. It was amusing to him how two words from a stranger via text could read both sad and amusing. He wondered who this person was. He wondered if he should ask. he wondered about his own sanity in even wondering such... wonders. Deciding that if things went sour he could always block the person, he took a chance and responded.

My name is Sasuke and I am a member of Orphans United. This is my first meeting but I am a long time member.

It was incredibly corny but he hoped the stranger would get a chuckle from it. He saw that his phone was nearly dying and went to grab his charger. He plugged it in and returned to the kitchen to stir his eggs. Plating up his meal, he sat his plate on the table and filled up Joshua's bowl. The cat came trotting into the kitchen, ears perked forward and eyes alert. They both dug in in companionable silence before Sasuke spoke.

"It's kind of sad that I am texting a complete stranger." Joshua glanced up from his bowl looking at Sasuke attentively while licking his lips. "You think I'm pathetic don't you?" he asked. Joshua blinked before deeming the conversation not worthy of his attention and continued munching his kibble. Sasuke's life was going to work. That's pretty much it. He would occasionally hang out with his brother or his childhood friend Neji but they were both too similar to him. To them life was work and work was money and money was power. For Sasuke he was getting to the point where that was kind of boring. Maybe this communication with this stranger was his sad attempt at branching out.

He finished his meal, put the plate into the dish washer and returned to his bedroom to get dressed. As he walked toward his dresser he grabbed his phone in spite of himself. The screen lit with a new text. He saw that it had been sent that very minute. Either the stranger had been hesitant to respond or they had been busy. Sasuke wondered which. He opened the text.

Welcome, Sasuke. This is also my first meeting of Orphan's United.

The text ended there and Sasuke noticed that no name was given. His lips thinned in disappointment. They had contacted him not the other way around. It was rude not to...

BUZZ

My name is Naruto.