"Yeah," I said as I looked up and saw that we were within a hundred yards of the phone booth. "You want to wait while I make this call?"
Honor simply nodded her head and kicked the rock toward a large elm tree that offered a shady respite from the summer sun. I watched her flop down on the ground. Leaning against the trunk, she began absently pulling grass blades out of the dirt before tossing them out away from her.
After a few seconds, Honor called, "You gonna make that call, English, or just stand there watching me be bored?"
"No need to be rude about it," I said irritated by her impatience. I walked over to the big, red booth and pushed on the folding door until it opened. Inside was an old AT&T push button phone with a silver face and a slot at the top for coins. As I stood staring at it, it dawned on me that I hadn't made a call on a pay phone since I was a kid and I wasn't entirely sure I remembered how to do it. I grabbed the receiver and hit 0 on the keypad, waited a few seconds and an operator came on the line asking if I needed assistance. I told her I needed to place a collect call, gave her Bugsy's number, and then waited. When the call went through, I said my name and waited for Bugsy to accept the charges.
"Jesus H. Christ, Wallace!" Bugsy yelled into the phone. "Where the fuck have you been? I've been texting, calling, and emailing you since yesterday!"
"I had an accident," I said quietly and then waited for him to calm down and listen. It took a few minutes, but he finally calmed down.
"What the hell happened with the meeting?" he demanded.
"It didn't go well," I replied.
"What do you mean it didn't go well?"
"Let's just say we didn't see eye to eye on the turbine project," I said.
"Goddamn it, Adam!" Bugsy shouted into the phone. "You were supposed to sell the deal and then get your ass back here so we could start working on the logistics!"
"Yeah, well, there's been a change in the plan," I said as I grew increasingly irritated with my friend's impatience.
"Adam, we can't afford to have you dicking around in Amish country," he said as I heard his fist pound on the desk. "You have to wrap this up and get back here A-SAP! The clock is ticking and if we don't nail down this manufacturing contract, we are so incredibly screwed I don't even begin to know how to explain it."
"You think I don't know that?" I shouted into the phone. "Jesus, Wiseman! I get it! I've been part of this deal since the beginning and I know perfectly well what's at stake!"
"Chill, Wallace, chill," Bugsy said shifting into his calm controlled self. "What do we need to do to make this work? How much time do you need?"
"I have no idea," I admitted as I sighed and leaned back against the glass booth. "This is going to be more challenging than we thought, Bugs. The bishop doesn't want anything to do with us, but I get the sense that there is something else going on around here. I just need a few days to figure it out and to find a way into the part of the community that wants to adopt it."
"How many days?" Bugs asked bluntly.
"A week, maybe two?" I suggested. "I'm going to be stuck here until they can get the parts for the car and fix it, so that'll be a week at least."
"What the fuck?" Bugs shouted. "What did you do to the car?"
"It met up with a ditch," I said. "Thanks for asking if I'm okay. Your concern is underwhelming."
"Fuck you, Wallace," he said impatiently. "Get the car fixed, get yourself in with the person who can okay the project, and then get your ass back to Chicago pronto!"
"Aye, aye Capitan," I said dryly. "Seriously, Bugs, chill out and trust me. I'll get the job done, but you can't be a dick about it. Give me a few days to figure out a plan and then I'll call you again and let you know what's going on."
"What happened to your phone?" he asked.
"Toast," I replied.
"Go buy a new one."
"Dude, I'm in northern Indiana in the middle of Amish country and I don't have a car," I said. "How exactly do you think I'm going to pull off that feat of magic?"
"I'll send you a new one via FedEx," he said. "What's the address?"
"Hold on," I said leaning out of the phone booth and hollering at Honor who was laying on the ground looking up at the tree. "Hey, Honor! What's your address?"
"Huh?" she said sitting up and looking at me.
"Address, I need your mailing address," I repeated.