Norman sat in his studio apartment and then got up to open the couch which doubled as a bed. The thirty four year old bachelor wondered to himself if anyone would miss him if he died tonight. It was a typical thought of those who have no relatives or real friends, someone who lives alone and is lonely at the same time. He stretched out on the sofa bed and flipped through the channels as a commercial appeared for a dating service. Norman jumped and grabbed a pen from the small table next to the T V and wrote the phone number down. In his rush, he mixed up the last two digits which would naturally lead to someone else's place. A lady answered the phone and sounded like she was just awoken from sleep. "I'm sorry, I guess I must have dialed the wrong number", he said. "It's alright, any voice is welcome now and I feel like we should talk", she replied. He introduced himself as Norman and she responded with Sheila Ann. The two strangers talked for over an hour before she said "I have to go now, please call me tomorrow at the same time". This went on every night for a whole week as each chat finally made the shy Norman ask if he could meet her in her person. "That's not possible, but please keep calling me", was how they hung up. Norman felt that he was falling in love and just had to meet her. He got the address that matched the phone number from the operator and drove there with the intent of maybe being really happy for the first time in his life. It was an art gallery as he rang the bell and was let in. The guide asked if he needed any help and Norman just said he would rather look around. In one of the rooms was stone sculpture of a woman sitting on a park bench. He stared at her as the guide noticed his interest. "Her name was Sheila Ann", the guide started to tell him. "She committed suicide over a lost lover and was donated to the gallery about a month ago". He couldn't believe what he had just heard and shook his head in disbelief. After the guide left him he just sat there and stared at a reality that only he could accept. Norman noticed a phone sitting a few feet away on a small pedestal next to the sculpture. He sat on the bench and talked to her with the realization of knowing it was her. Norman told Sheila Ann how much he love her as a tear dripped from one of her stone eyes. He kissed her lips as the security guard came in and said "Sorry sir, please do not touch any of the displays here". He went home and the next day picked up the phone. "Please come back tonight, its so dark here now and I need you". He rang the bell but nobody answered. Then he heard the latch unlock from inside as he entered. Nobody was there that let him in, but he knew it was her. Norman sat next to her on the bench and held her hand. The other was around her shoulder as he kissed her for one final time. "I will never leave you again", he whispered in her ear. "Stay with me now and forever" she whispered back. The night watchman was on his second shift from the day before. He couldn't figure out why there was another sculpture of a man sitting next to her without him being aware of the galleries new addition. He looked closely at the mans face and then knew what had happened. Nothing was said about it as nobody would believe him anyway. The night watchman left a light on and smiled as he made one more round before going home.
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