Wrong Number, Right Person

The first message came on a Tuesday in March.

Hes eating. Only chicken but hes eating

Priya did not know who this was and said so, politely, because she is a person who answers wrong numbers rather than ignoring them.

sorry wrong no

That should have been it.

Eight days later:

Stood up today. 40 seconds. Vet says thats huge

Priya looked at this for a while. Then she wrote: I think you've got the wrong number again. But — that's brilliant. Who stood up?

oh god sorry. my dog. Baxter. hit by a car 2 wks ago. I keep texting my sister and shes changed her number and I keep forgetting

Well I'm glad Baxter stood up.

thanks. sorry again

April

Sorry to do this. 4 mins standing. Wasnt sure who else to tell

Four minutes! Tell me.

May

Baxter walks the length of the hall. Baxter refuses his tablets inside cheese and must be given them inside ham. Baxter has developed, in convalescence, a personality that his owner describes as "extremely entitled and honestly earned."

His owner is called Marcus. Priya learns this in week nine because he signs one message by accident.

She learns other things slowly, in the gaps around the dog. That his sister moved to Perth in 2022. That the reason he keeps texting the old number is not really forgetfulness. That he lives alone and works nights.

She does not ask about any of it. She asks about the dog.

August

He ran. Not far. But he RAN

MARCUS.

I know

October

The messages stop for eleven days.

Priya writes on day four: Everything ok?

Nothing.

Day nine: No pressure. Just thinking of you both.

On day eleven:

sorry. bad two weeks. not baxter, hes fine. me. anyway. hes fine.

Are you?

getting there

I'm going to keep asking, I should warn you.

yeah I thought you might

January

Its his anniversary sat. A year since the car. Im doing something stupid

How stupid?

Im taking him to the beach he cant do sand properly it takes him ages. Whole day for 200 metres of beach

That's the least stupid thing I've ever heard.

The Saturday

Two photographs. A brown dog, greying at the muzzle, standing in shallow water looking extremely pleased with himself. Then the same dog asleep in a car with sand on his nose.

200 metres. 3 hrs. worth it

Thank you for telling me.

youre the only person I tell

I know.

February

Can I ask you something

Yes.

Why did you never block me. 11 months of a strangers dog

Priya typed several answers and deleted them.

The true one was that in March, when the first message came, she had been three weeks into the worst year of her life, and a stranger's dog had eaten some chicken, and it had been the only unambiguously good news she had received in twenty-two days.

She sent: Because he stood up for forty seconds and I wanted to know what happened next.

thats it?

That's it.

A long pause.

hes asleep on my foot. hes very heavy. Ive been trapped for an hour

Send a photo.

obviously