San Francisco, USA.
The Matthew Davis Cancer Research Foundation was located in an ordinary three-story office building on the outskirts of the city. The office building was quite old, and the exterior was very rustic gray. The foundation's logo was not eye-catching, and it was often difficult for first-time visitors to find it.
In front of the office building was a small parking lot. Several cars of different models and ages were parked there, silently enduring the rain.
"Damn it!"
Eddie Lewis pushed open the car door and glared fiercely at the gloomy sky, but he still braced himself and got out of the car. He held his briefcase above his head with one hand and a paper cup of coffee in the other. Braving the cold wind and rain, he hurried into the office building.
"Hi! Eddie, you're late! "The receptionist smiled and handed him a tissue." Bad weather, right? Wipe yourself, be careful not to catch a cold. "
"Oh no! There was a traffic jam on the way! "
Eddie placed the coffee cup at the front desk and took a tissue to wipe his cheeks and bald head. He then wiped the raindrops off his glasses and chatted with the receptionist about the weather.
"I'll go up first. See you later!" He threw the tissue into the trash can, picked up his coffee, and walked into the elevator. He adjusted his tie in front of the mirror in the elevator.
He was a volunteer of the foundation, and he worked for the foundation for free on his days off. He had been working for the foundation for almost ten years.
He was a little late today because he was caught in a traffic jam when he drove through San Francisco's Chinatown. Traffic jams were common in San Francisco, but the reason for today's traffic jam was unusual – the Chinese lion dance team was performing lion dance on the street to celebrate the New Year. The sound of gongs and drums and firecrackers were loud. It was very lively and attracted a large number of locals and tourists to watch, blocking the road. Coupled with the bad weather, the traffic was as slow as a snail.
He should have known. It was the Lunar New Year in China, and the influence was so great that even in the United States, it could not escape.
This was not the first time he was late for the China New Year, but it was not his fault. The China New Year was not fixed, and he could not remember the changing dates. It would be great if it could be fixed. For example, like the United States, Thanksgiving Day was on the fourth Thursday of November every year. That way, he could remember it and take a detour during the Spring Festival.
Ding!
The elevator stops on the third floor. The door opens. His office is here.
"Good morning, Eddie!"
"Good morning!"
In the corridor, he walked past his colleagues from the foundation and greeted them. Most of them were like him, volunteers who worked for the foundation for free. Some of them had lost their family members to cancer, while others just wanted to help. Eddie belonged to the latter group.
"Right, Eddie!"
The colleague who greeted him just now called out to him from behind.
"What's wrong?" He turned around and asked.
"I heard a phone ringing when I passed by your office," the man said as he walked backward.
"Thanks. I'm late today. "Eddie nodded and thanked him." Ah, do you want to go to a nearby bar for a drink tonight? I mean, if it doesn't rain. "
"Alright, see you there."
Eddie took out his key and opened the door of the fundraising office. There was no one in the office. He was the only one working today. He glanced at the landline phone on the table. It was not ringing at the moment, but the voice recorder light was flashing, indicating that one or more phone recordings were waiting to be played.
He put his briefcase and coffee cup on the table and pressed the button of the answering machine. Then he took off his coat, which was wet from the rain, and hung it on the coat rack.
"Hello, this is the fundraising office of the Matthew Davis Cancer Research Foundation. It's not working right now. Please leave a message after the beep. We'll get back to you at a convenient time."
The voice that he had recorded in advance came from the answering machine.
"Hello, is there no one there? I want to inquire about the donation … Forget it, I'll call back later. "An elderly woman's voice came from the other side of the phone.
That was all the man said before he hung up the phone.
Eddie Lewis's daily job was mainly to make and answer phone calls. He had heard a lot of people's voices and could even determine some simple information about the owner of the voice based on the voice. The woman who had just called had a very obvious Southern California accent. She should be over 60 years old. Her tone was gentle and appropriate. Obviously, she was a well-educated and cultured person. She was probably one of the main targets of the foundation's fundraising.
There were several similar calls every day, so it was not surprising.
However, when Eddie inadvertently glanced at the caller's number, he could not help but frown. This was a trans-oceanic call. The area code was neither the United States nor Canada. He only remembered the area codes of these two countries. The other party's area code was very unfamiliar.
The Matthew Davis Foundation rarely received donations from foreign countries. The donors were mainly from North America, and occasionally there were some Europeans.
A long-distance call from a foreign country with a local California accent piqued his interest.
Would she call again?
Based on his experience, the chances were about 50-50.
Some people decided to donate on impulse. They might regret it after they calmed down and would not call again. Some people randomly chose to donate to the Matthew Davis Foundation. Occasionally, they would find the phone number of the Matthew Davis Foundation in the Yellow Pages and call. If no one answered, they would change to another organization. It did not make much difference to the donor.
But there was no other way. It was all because of the lion dance team that he met in the morning that caused him to be late. If this caused the foundation to miss out on a large donation, it would be a pity.
Eddie stood by the window, looked at San Francisco in the hazy drizzle, and took a sip of coffee to warm his body.
He hated the rain and hated being wet by the rain, just like the unknown cat at home. But it always rained in San Francisco during this season. It was often cloudy for several consecutive days. It was humid and cold, which made people feel terrible.
After thinking about it, he replayed the recording of the phone call.
His hearing was good, and he seemed to hear a faint meow in the background. Did the other party also like to raise cats?
What should I do? Should I call back?
The other party had already said that he would call back later. Maybe calling back now would make the other party feel unhappy or distrusted …
Eddie hesitated.
Ring ring ring!
At this moment, the phone rang again.
"Hello, this is the fundraising office of the Matthew Davis Cancer Research Foundation …" The answering machine automatically connected the call. Eddie remembered that the answering machine had not been turned off and quickly picked up the receiver.
"Hi, hello, this is Eddie Lewis," he said.
"Hello, I'm Kathryn Donna Ryan. You can call me Cathy."
The same voice came from the other side of the phone.
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