Connecting people.

Connecting people. He felt proud when he heard those words. He didn't quite know what they meant, but they always appeared at the end of the commercial and sounded very elegant. Ever since he bought a Nokia 3120 on September 3, 2005, as a birthday gift for one złoty plus VAT, his life had taken on a different hue. It had become more metallic. He really liked that color. In the apartment building where he lived, everything was gray and hideous. He looked with disgust at the shabby staircase, the never-cleaned stairs, filled with dog shit, garbage, bottles, and newspapers. Now he had a cure. He would lock himself in his room and touch the Nokia. His mother would bang on the door, screaming so loud the entire neighborhood could hear her.

"Open up! Why are you locking yourself out? Open up now. What did I tell you? Get a job, how old are you? I have to support you for the rest of my life on a single pension?"

When the curses began, he would ring the bell. While she was screaming, insulting herself, "You son of a bitch!" he used the blue button in the upper left corner to access the menu, the gallery, show folders, and sounds. He listened to Carnival 1, City Life, and Elevator. His mother was starting to weaken with "Floating," "You'll be the death of me!" This sentence meant she had reached the limits of her endurance. She would soon open the cupboard and strengthen herself. If she couldn't find any wine there, she would search the fridge and the cupboard under the sink. Then, shuffling in her slippers, she would approach the door. She would be as gentle as an Alpine lamb starring in a sock commercial.

"Arunia, don't be angry with Mom, you know I need to vent, that I'm feeling better, okay, could you lend Mom five zlotys, I'll pay you back after the pension.

" He listened to Hat Dance and immediately turned on Lily's slightly nostalgic ringtone, feeling sorry for her. He threw a fiver under the door. He went to the window. He saw her dancing joyfully toward the store. He also knew he had the evening and night to himself and her. It was soft to the touch, lightweight (90g), durable (230-hour standby time), and handy, and most importantly, it was called Nokia. It was manufactured by a Finnish company that promoted a policy of continuous development. He wanted to grow with her. Now it was within his reach. He had a communication tool (so he read in the brochure) that was not only easy to use but also a symbol of style. As the ad above the beautiful brunette's chest said, "Life itself. Only improved."

Time used to be meaningless to him. He'd sleep until noon. Then he'd lie awake until dusk, staring blankly at the TV, or sitting in front of his apartment building, equally blankly staring at the sky. Now he no longer needed to look at either the TV or the sky. The Nokia's display replaced all the world's views for him. In the gallery, in the photos folder, he had a dozen wallpapers to choose from. When he got bored with build.gif, he'd set it to control.jpg, or perhaps disc.jpg. Sometimes, when he was in a romantic mood, he'd set it to flowers.jpg, but only for a moment, because flowers were good for girls. He preferred machine.jpg, and especially party.jpg.

He was discovering new possibilities every second. On his first evening, he discovered it had a calendar, clock, and alarm. Only the next day did he manage to discover more surprising features. He entered GPRS with some trepidation; the English name, General Packet Radio Service, meant nothing to him. Only when he learned in the user manual, in the "Phone Features Overview" section, that GPRS allowed for sending and receiving data over a cellular network, did he feel happy. He was equally delighted by the MMS feature, which stood for Multimedia Messaging Service. That evening, when he discovered most of the Nokia's features, he realized the world was open to him. He had so many possibilities. He was in touch with the entire world; at any moment, someone from the world could want to talk to him. All he had to do was press the button with the green checkmark, and that was it. Someone else was on the other end. He was no longer alone.

His mother returned with his "friend" Rysiek. Arek, just in case, put the Nokia in his pocket. His friend might have learned about the phone from his mother and might want to call. He imagined the worst. Rysiek, with his black hands, picked up the phone. With his cigarette-yellow fingers, he tried to press a number, then, spitting into the air, he began babbling. A moment later, a knock sounded.

"Arunio, show me that phone," his mother's voice held the joy of the wine he'd consumed. He knew that if he didn't answer, his mother would convince his friend to help her break down the door. Back when he still had furniture in his room, he'd barricade himself. Now, with only an air mattress, he was defenseless. He opened the door and walked into the kitchen.

"Hi, Arunia," Rysiek extended his hand in greeting. "Come on, show me that phone, damn it, I'm not going to break it."

He decided to play for time.

"Maybe I can buy you something, I'm going to the store..."

His mother hiccupped, her eyes widening as if she didn't understand what he was saying.

"Wait a minute, show me the phone," Rysiek emphasized the word "show."

The situation seemed hopeless. At the last minute, Arek had an idea.

"Okay, I'll get it right away."

He returned to the room and turned off the phone. Without the PIN, the Nokia was safe. He handed Rysiek the phone. He took it and began weighing it. "

Look, Wiesia, what a piece of crap, such a cheap thing..."

"Because it's only a złoty."

"Oh," Rysiek smacked his lips in dissatisfaction. "It's a pittance, Arunio, it's not worth fawning over. We had that wine for 2.40..."

"2.60," his mother shouted, as if it were something truly important.

"Shut up, shut up, let me tell you, you're screaming, 2.40. The kind with a yellow card. A regular one with a red card costs 3.50, and this 2.40, they said, it's a fucking bargain, after their promotion, I almost threw up my liver, so you have to be careful, Arunio. And if you want to go to the store, go ahead, I'll play around a bit. How does it turn on?"

"It's not turning on yet, they have to connect me to the mains."

Rysiek pursed his lips in surprise.

"Shoes like that?"

"Rysiek, he's cheating on you, I know him, he's so cunning like his father, he's afraid you'll call him."

Rysiek's face hardened.

"Are you some kind of a cucumber?"

Arek tried to retreat into the room. Rysiek grabbed him by the neck and sat him down at the table.

"Turn that phone on for me, you bastard, or if I beat you, they'll scrape you off the glass with spoons."

With trembling fingers, he entered his PIN. The loud sound of the greeting brought a blissful smile to Rysiek's face.

"Now, go to the store, want some money?" The question was rhetorical.

He pretended to leave. He stood outside the door and listened. Rysiek tapped the keys, and his mother felt a vague sense of utter despair.

"Don't call far away, where will he get it on the bill..."

"You're so stupid. He had it on his phone, and he'll find it on the bill. "

"He bought it for a złoty. On sale."

"You're a fool! You must have gotten so worked up over that sulfur. A złoty phone? They don't have that many idiots yet. Wine costs three fifty złoty and a złoty phone, eh?"

At that moment, Rysiek connected because he started shouting.

"Kazik? Hi, you old fart. What don't you recognize? Rysiek's calling. Yeah. From his cell phone. What, you think I'm a fucking hunchback. I can afford it. How are you? Well, keep it up. You do this here and there. I still have Kuroń, well, two months, then I have to go to Germany, I need to loosen up a bit, well, get a car."

Arek sat on the stairs and counted. At the hundred and fifty second mark, he felt a cramp, Rysiek was getting going. There was no sign of him stopping. He was recounting his last binge, during which he'd blacked out three times. At the tenth minute, he slowly started saying goodbye. He hung up at fourteen and two seconds. Arek thought about the per-second counting that had saved an entire minute. Despite his mother's protests, Rysiek made another call. To his friend Danka. His mother began to tug at him, whether out of jealousy or concern over the bill, he didn't know. Arek opened the door. Rysiek, with the phone to his ear, slapped his mother away and glanced in his direction.

"Where's the wine?"

Without waiting for Rysiek's next move, he lunged at him. For a moment, they tore the camera from each other, then they both had it. Rysiek took the back cover and battery, Arek the rest. His mother tried to separate them. Suddenly, a knife flashed in Rysiek's hand. Arek reached for a potato peeler from the sink.

His mother looked at the bodies lying on the floor. Blood mingled into a puddle. She pulled the battery from Rysiek's clenched hand, and a moment later, she found the rest of the phone under Arek's belly. After several attempts, she managed to put the camera back together. She pressed all the buttons one by one, until something beeped, and a message appeared. She didn't know what to do next. When she placed the camera on the table, a deep, male voice came out: "Nokia. Connecting people."