Beyond the Walls

Unwritten Rules

"Recorded Call #42"

Malik: "Hey, Trouble."

Alina: "There you are."

Malik: "Whatchu smiling about?"

Alina: "You."

Malik: "...Don't start."

Alina: "Too late."

There were rules nobody ever wrote down.

Rules nobody warned you about.

You learned them one phone call at a time.

Always answer if you can.

Never waste thirty minutes arguing.

Never leave a visit angry.

Never assume silence means somebody stopped caring.

And never...

Ever...

Take time together for granted.

I didn't know those rules when all this started.

Now...

I lived by them.

...

Friday afternoon came and went.

I found myself checking the time without realizing it.

Not because I was waiting for the day to end.

Because somewhere around this time...

My phone usually rang.

I smiled to myself.

I had started measuring my days differently.

Monday through Saturday...

Thirty-minute phone calls.

Sunday...

Two visits.

One in the morning.

One in the afternoon.

The rest of the week belonged to everyone else.

Sunday belonged to us.

...

My phone finally rang.

I answered before the second ring.

"Hello?"

A familiar laugh came through the speaker.

"Hey, Trouble."

"There you are."

"You been waiting?"

I smiled.

"What do you think?"

"I think you've been staring at your phone."

"I was doing no such thing."

"You lying already?"

"I might be."

He laughed.

"I knew it."

His laugh always made everything else disappear.

No matter how stressful my day had been...

Thirty minutes with him somehow made life feel lighter.

...

"What'd you do today?" he asked.

"I survived."

"That bad?"

"You ever try explaining to eight kids why markers don't belong in noses?"

He laughed so hard I couldn't help laughing with him.

"I would've paid to see that."

"No, you wouldn't."

"I definitely would've."

"You are no help."

"I never claimed to be."

...

The conversation drifted like it always did.

One minute we were talking about work.

The next...

Favorite movies.

Then food.

Then childhood memories.

Nothing extraordinary.

Just life.

Somehow those ordinary conversations became my favorite part of every day.

...

"Trouble?"

"Hmm?"

"You know what I'm looking forward to?"

"What?"

"Sunday."

I smiled.

"Me too."

"You know what I like about Sundays?"

"What?"

"For a few hours..."

"It almost feels normal."

I knew exactly what he meant.

Sunday mornings always started the same.

The drive.

The security checks.

The metal detector.

The waiting room.

Then finally...

Seeing him.

The afternoon visit always felt different.

The nerves were gone.

We'd already seen each other once.

Instead of trying to catch up...

We simply enjoyed being together.

Between visits, I'd sit in my car with lunch and replay our morning conversation.

Sometimes I'd read.

Sometimes I'd listen to music.

Most of the time...

I'd just smile.

Because I knew I wasn't saying goodbye yet.

I still had another visit waiting for me.

...

"You know what I noticed?" he asked.

"What?"

"You never rush our conversations."

"Why would I?"

"A lot of people do."

"I wait all day to talk to you."

"I'm not wasting a single minute."

His voice softened.

"I like hearing that."

"It's true."

...

He laughed.

"You know what's funny?"

"What?"

"You always tell me about your students."

"I do."

"I feel like I know all of 'em."

"You probably do."

"I be wondering how they doing."

My heart smiled.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"I like hearing about your day."

"Even the boring parts?"

"Especially the boring parts."

"Why?"

"'Cause that's real life."

...

The automated voice interrupted us.

"You have one minute remaining."

We both laughed.

"I swear that lady don't ever miss her cue," I said.

"I think she wait on us."

"I think she jealous."

"I think you might be right."

Silence settled between us.

Comfortable.

Peaceful.

Then he spoke.

"Trouble?"

"Yeah?"

"I still ain't figured out what all this means."

"I know."

"But I know one thing."

"What?"

"My days don't feel complete if I don't hear your voice."

I smiled.

"My days don't either."

He laughed softly.

"I knew you was gonna say that."

"How?"

"'Cause I know you."

The recording returned.

"This call has ended."

I looked at my phone for a long moment before setting it down.

Maybe love wasn't always built on grand declarations.

Maybe...

It was built on routines.

Thirty-minute phone calls.

Two Sunday visits.

A nickname that still made me smile.

And one familiar greeting...

"Hey, Trouble."