Now armed with the knowledge of each mobile, June realised two things - even the most scrupulous had to have a means to contact a villain and a villain needed to make money. But it still didn’t help June to deal with the callers. Many of the calls came from desperate people, prepared to involve themselves in desperate measures. No amount of pleading made June give them want they wanted, not that she could anyway. Desperation often turned to hatred, and June found she gained a new level of being insincere in the politest possible way. She didn’t know what the callers paid to get the number, and she never suggested they don’t ring. It wasn’t lost on June the money might be paying her wages.

But the more calls June answered, the more her faith in humanity faltered. In time, June began to recognise callers and their desperation grew until they no longer called. June tried to distance herself emotionally but there were moments when guilt reared its head, and she questioned her role. In the three days during Inferno absents, June found dealing with the calls harder. In the evenings, June turned off all four mobiles until morning. In doing this, June found she could distance herself and sleep better.

The sound of a mobile ringing on the kitchen table alerted June to the incoming call and that of the upgraded mobile. It would only mean someone more desperate to deal with and she almost ignored it but didn’t.

“Your call is important. Please state your business.”

“You’re kidding me right?”

June let out an exaggerated sigh. So the man with the nice voice but not so nice attitude had upgraded.

“Please state your business?” June asked again.

“Do have any idea how much I paid to get this number. I need to speak to Inferno, is she there?”

“I’m sorry but Inferno does not take any calls. If you would like to leave your name and number.”

“Like hell I would leave that type of information with you. I don’t trust you.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, sir. Thank you for your call.”

It was June who hung up this time.

Idiot of a man. Who ever he was.

It was no surprise when a moment later the phone rang again. If the man had upgraded, then he was most certainly desperate.

She answered the phone again.

“I’d like to speak with Inferno please.” The same voice asked over the phone.

“Look, I understand that you have business to discuss with her. But if I don’t answer these phones, no one does. So you can either tell me what business you have with Inferno. Or, I can hang up and you can ring again, leave a voicemail message, which will go unattended.”

“I’ll call back later,” he told June.

“Please, do both yourself and me a favour and don’t, unless you’re prepared to leave a message. You’re going to have to sort your mess out yourself. Have a good day.”

June ended the call.

She couldn’t help but fume for the next half hour and in an attempt to regain her composure June baked. When her cupcakes were ready, June decided a visit to Mavis at the laundromat would help calm her. June liked Mavis and the way she rhymed when she talked. Her visits to see her were often enjoyable, and sometimes when The Tailor joined them, they both made June laugh at the way they interacted. Mavis and The Tailor shared a special relationship; one June suspected had survived many years. The way they talked to each other only confirmed what June believed was a very special friendship.

The weatherman told June to expect windy conditions so June dressed accordingly. Although June felt she now owned more clothes than she would ever need, the joy she got from choosing what to wear always lifted her spirits. Her sense of femininity flourished as her wardrobe grew and June came to love her appearance. Every day, June found pleasure in being herself.

It became a sensation she wanted to share with everyone around her but when she thought of her parents, she hoped one day they too could see what June saw in herself.

June returned to her bedroom to change out of the floral dress she wore for something warmer. She chose fawn corduroy pants and a pale pink woollen high neck pullover. Brown knee-high boots over her pants finished her look, and she smiled at her reflection in the mirror. June gave her hair a quick brush and giving her face a light touch of makeup, returned to the kitchen and placed the cupcakes into a large plastic container. With the four mobiles and diary tucked into her handbag and over her shoulder, the container held in both arms, she left with high spirits.

In the time June had been living in the apartment, she never once encountered anyone in the building. Always, when using the lift it had been only her. Although there were four apartments per floor each apartment had their own foyer and access to a lift. This day found June mildly surprised when the lift came to a stop several floors below hers and an elderly couple entered. June moved to the back corner to give them room attempting to keep her smile hidden as the woman scolded her husband about his appearance.

The interruption of the mobile phone in June’s bag broke the silence and the woman turned to glare at June.

“Aren’t you going to answer that?” she scoffed.

“No. It would be impolite to have a conversation in a lift in front of strangers.”

The elderly gentleman turned, and smiling said, “What lovely manners.”

His wife elbowed him and said, “What if it’s important?”

“It can wait,” June told her.

This only aggravated the woman, as the phone continued to ring. June reached into her bag and pressing the button on the top of the phone, cancelled the call.

“Nothing to worry about now,” June told them.

“You should always answer your calls. It might be an emergency.”

“I don’t let things like unanswered phone calls dictate what I should or shouldn’t do.”

This only aggravated the woman more and June looked away, surprised she had let the woman get the better of her. When the lift doors opened, June waited for the couple to leave, before moving past them and outside. She didn’t like being told by strangers what to do. It was tough enough having parents who dictated what she should do and how she should live.

The entire walk to the laundromat was done in silent fury. June should have handle the couple better, or yet, ignored them. By the time she arrived at her destination, her annoyance became more aggravated. The closed sign over the door made June want to cry. The people walking past paid her little attention as June looked around the busy street. Not sure if her day could get any worse, June took a deep breath, deciding what to do next. She removed a cupcake from the container she carried, and ate it, before deciding to return home. When the phone rang again June retrieved it from her bag and answered.

“Please state your business.”

The same man again, this time in a flat, defeated voice, rattled off his name, phone number, and message.

June repeated the number and message back.

“Your message will be passed on. Thank you for your call.”

With no intentions of passing on the message, June hung up, dropped the mobile back into her bag and helped herself to another cupcake.