To hear the cost of this call, dial two. To accept and pay for this call, dial three. To reject this call and block future calls of this nature, dial four.” Dominique pressed three, as she always did, and waited breathlessly for her man’s voice to fill her ear. Finally, she heard Jamel’s sexy bass say, “Hello?” “Hi, baby!” Dominique could barely contain her excitement. Jamel called her often, and she anticipated each call as if she hadn’t heard from him in decades. Her telephone bills were astronomical, flooded with collect calls from the state penitentiary. But Dominique never complained. She happily paid each exorbitant bill, grateful for the calls that gave her access to her beloved for thirty precious minutes at a time. “Hey, baby girl. I love you.” Dominique’s smile broadened. “I love you, too, baby. I’m counting down the days till you get home.” Jamel smiled. He was counting down as well. Just six more months to go on his three-year sentence and he could get back to the life he’d left behind.
