JENNY I GOT YOUR NUMBER

by PearlAnn SnowStar

Catherine looked over at her friend. Jenny was clearly upset.

Jenny sighed. ‘Here I asked you out for lunch, and instead of idle chit chat… Well…”

Catherine touched her hand. “You don’t know who it is?”

“No, and the funny thing is, they don’t sound like your usual stalker.”

“Have you noticed anyone following you?” Catherine looked worried.

“No, let’s forget about it, ok, it’s just strange that the caller played the beginning of that song and then asked to meet me at the art gallery, without giving me his name or number.”

“Well?” Catherine looked at her.

“Oh God NO, I am not that…well maybe I am, but I am not.” Jenny sat back in her chair. “You know the funny thing about it?”

“What?”

“I kind of recognized that voice.”

A man who looked like he was in a rock band walked up to their table.

“Can I help you?” Catherine asked.

“I am a song messenger and someone asked me to sing this to Jenny. Here goes. ‘Jenny, Jenny, who can I turn to? You give me somethin’ I can hold onto. I know you think I’m like the others before. Who saw your name and number on the wall. Jenny I got your number I need to make you mine. Jenny don’t change your number 867-5309.’”*

Catherine stood up. “Enough!” She faced the messenger. “Who sent you? What did they look like? Male? Female?”

“Catherine, please…” Jenny looked around. “Let him finish before the interrogation.”

Catherine sat down.

“Besides,” Jenny flushed. “I kind of like it, being sung to, even if the song is a few years old and that is not my actual phone number.”

The messenger looked at Jenny, then warily at Catherine. He continued, “’Eight six seven five three oh nine Eight six seven five three oh nine Eight six seven five three oh nine Eight six seven five three oh nine. Jenny, Jenny, you’re the girl for me. You don’t know me but you make me so happy. I tried to call you before but I lost my nerve. I tried my imagination but I was disturbed..’”

He stopped and looked at Jenny as he pulled out an envelope from a pocket inside his vest. “I was to stop there and hand Jenny this.” Keeping an eye on Catherine, he gave the envelope to Jenny.

“Don’t worry. She won’t bite.” Jenny chuckled. She read the envelope.

“If you don’t mind, I will finish the song and go.” He fidgeted and quickly finished the song. Not waiting for a tip, he walked away as fast as he could.

Some people next to their table clapped and cheered. One spoke up, “Either the guy who sent him is your boyfriend or was your boyfriend.”

Catherine attacked the last bit of salad she was eating. She looked at Jenny. “Well?”

Jenny put the envelope down on the table and Catherine snatched it up. “Catherine!”

Catherine read the letter. Then blushed.

Catherine sighed. “Do you know this…artist?”

“John, yeah, he was one of the people at the gallery exhibit last week, inquiring about how to get his modern art exhibited.”

Catherine rolled her eyes.

“Ok, ok, so it’s another artist. But he didn’t want to have me pose nude for him in winter.” Jenny softly laughed.

“Still, to go to this kind of length for a date? Calling you like he was a stalker, sending this man and he only, what, met you one time?”

“His name is John and I could tell he was harmless and besides, I don’t have any bad vibes, so yes, I am going to go on the date.” Jenny crossed her arms and looked at her friend.

Catherine glared. “Do you know the danger this could be? In the letter it said he got your number from a friend. Did this friend ask you for permission to…”

Jenny raised her hand. “No, no one asked if they could give my number out. But, hey, I sometimes blurb out my friend’s number and I don’t mean to.”

“Yeah, I know.” Catherine fumed. After a moment, she relaxed.

“Sorry about that time, really.” Jenny put her head down.

Both women finished up their lunch in silence.

After paying their checks, Jenny and Catherine left the restaurant.

Jenny started to laugh.

“What?” Catherine looked at her.

“Karma can be a bitch or a friend.” Jenny smiled.

“Look, at least have me come with you on this ‘date’. Maybe with Joe?”

Jenny laughed again. “Or with Detective Hughes or your Vincent.” She shook her head. “John is harmless really. I will go to lunch with him during the day and call you afterwards to let you know how it went.”

Catherine moaned.

“Oh, don’t worry.” Jenny put an arm around her shoulder. She chuckled.

“You can’t stop laughing.” Catherine looked at her concerned. “This is serious.”

“And you looked like a lioness ready to eat the messenger for lunch. Didn’t you ever hear the saying, ‘don’t shoot the messenger’? Well, in your case, don’t eat the messenger.”

Catherine relaxed. She smiled. “You and those…artists.”

Jenny playfully pushed her. “Shall I remind you about you and Kristopher?”

Catherine groaned..

“It will be all right. Kind of romantic, isn’t it?” Jenny grinned.

Catherine just shook her head.

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867-5309/Jenny is a 1981 song written by Alex Call and Jim Keller and performed by Tommy Tutone that was released on the album Tommy Tutone 2, on the Columbia Records label.