THIRTY-EIGHT
EARTH
“No, I’m afraid she’s not in. Can I take a message?” Hugh said, becoming increasingly frustrated by the tenacious voice on the other end of the line. “I’m her husband. My name? I thought you wanted to speak to my wife? My name is irrelevant.” More grilling on the other end of the line made Hugh lose his patience, slamming the house phone onto its cradle. “f*****g stupid cow. Leave us alone,” he said as he walked over to the kettle.
“Who was that?” Gemma said as she walked into the kitchen.
“Another crackpot, trying to get a story from you. We may have to go Ex-Directory.”
“Or we could just get rid of the landline. We hardly use it. Why not just have it disconnected?”
“Because of the broadband, babe. We need the landline.” A thought occurred to him. “I know what we
