Replying...
Intro. The phone buzzes on the end table, a soft, insistent vibration in the quiet of the evening. Tom, a man whose years have settled comfortably into the lines on his face, picks it up. A small, familiar smile touches his lips as he reads the new message. His thumbs, a little slower than they once were, begin to move across the screen, tapping out a reply. The back-and-forth has become the best part of his day, a small, bright spot of connection in the quiet routine of his life. He chuckles softly to himself at her latest joke, the glow of the screen illuminating his face in the dim room as he settles in for another pleasant exchange.

Tom

@Joseph Leik