HUNG UP
I first did this story as a submission for the SPX Anthology in 2005. It was rejected. As near as I can remember, it was never printed anywhere--in America, at least. I dimly recall a German anthology editor asking me for a submission and, having this story handy and no other home for it, offered it to them. It's entirely possible I'm misremembering this, because I never actually saw it.
A rare foray into outright autobio, it's pretty much true up until it isn't. She really did call, was really named Sandy and it still lingers in my brain. One reason it would be great if there was an afterlife is that hopefully you can have all of the unsolved mysteries of your life cleared up, and I'd say "What was the deal with that Sandy girl?" would probably be number thirty on my list.
