Lord of the Rings

I picked up the receiver and I poised my finger, ready to dial her number. A deep breath in and then out. I repeated the number to myself. I pressed each number slowly and firmly repeating each number as I went. I brought the receiver to my ear and waited.
1 ring, 2 rings, 3 rings, 4 rings.
Maybe she wasn't there. Maybe she has a machine. What am I going to say on the machine? Maybe I should just hang up. But what if she has caller ID?
6 rings, 7 rings, 8 rings.
Should I just hang up right now?
11 rings, 12 rings, 13 rings.
I am going to hang up after the next ring.
15rings.
OK, after the next one.
16 rings.
I leaned closer to the phone making sure to cut down the time between removing the receiver from my ear to actually hanging up.
20 rings, 21rings, 22rings.
I wonder if I dialed the right number? I began searching the clutter on my desk for the small scrap of paper she had written her number on.
25 rings, 26 rings, 27 rings.
I know it is here somewhere.
30 rings, 31 rings, 32 rings.
Then I saw it lying on the floor next to the leg of the desk.
35 rings. 36 rings, 37 rings.
I read the number and tried to remember if that is the number I dialed.
41 rings, 42 rings, 43 rings.
I think it was, right?  Yeah, of couse it is.
45 rings, 46 rings, 47 rings.
I wonder where she is.
48 rings.
Why, doesn't she have an answering machine?
49 rings.
There goes my call waiting, maybe it's her.
50 rings.