Random, Odd Phone Calls
A long time ago, maybe a year ago or more, we received some odd phone calls here. They were mostly messages left on the answering machine, obviously someone had dialed the wrong number, didn't listen to our greeting, and left a message anyway. They turned out to be an older man calling for his son, practically begging for the son to call him back. Finally I called the phone number left in the message--it was a phone number in California. I explained that no one by that name lived at our phone number, and couldn't have lived at this number for several years. I think I even tried to look up the person trying to be reached in the phone book, with no luck. The older man didn't even realize he was calling Minnesota. Who knows what happened, how it got stuck in his head that his son was at our phone number, but the calls stopped.
Until today. There's a message on the machine, a father calling his son, saying he hadn't heard from him for a long time, blah blah blah. Can you believe it? Here I go again. I know it's the same person. I can't help but be irritated--doesn't anyone listen to the greeting? Uh, do we share the same last name? If no one calls you back, are you going to figure out that you had a wrong number and stop calling? Or, (gut instinct) are you just going to keep calling? Sigh. Why can't you call information? 411?? Hire a private investigator??
But now I'm wondering, could this guy have Alzheimer's or something? Am I just not being compassionate about this? Or, is he just so lonely he doesn't care that he's (pathetically) calling the same wrong number over and over? Could the son be dead? Long dead? And the father mentally ill? Is there a reason they haven't spoken? Who is at fault? On and on.
So I guess we'll see what happens next. For now, I've decided not to call him back. I did before and tried to explain we had no clue who the son was but obviously that didn't stick. I would probably end up getting frustrated and snotty on the phone and this just isn't worth it. It seems like he's calling during the day, and we're not here then anyway.
A long time ago, maybe a year ago or more, we received some odd phone calls here. They were mostly messages left on the answering machine, obviously someone had dialed the wrong number, didn't listen to our greeting, and left a message anyway. They turned out to be an older man calling for his son, practically begging for the son to call him back. Finally I called the phone number left in the message--it was a phone number in California. I explained that no one by that name lived at our phone number, and couldn't have lived at this number for several years. I think I even tried to look up the person trying to be reached in the phone book, with no luck. The older man didn't even realize he was calling Minnesota. Who knows what happened, how it got stuck in his head that his son was at our phone number, but the calls stopped.
Until today. There's a message on the machine, a father calling his son, saying he hadn't heard from him for a long time, blah blah blah. Can you believe it? Here I go again. I know it's the same person. I can't help but be irritated--doesn't anyone listen to the greeting? Uh, do we share the same last name? If no one calls you back, are you going to figure out that you had a wrong number and stop calling? Or, (gut instinct) are you just going to keep calling? Sigh. Why can't you call information? 411?? Hire a private investigator??
But now I'm wondering, could this guy have Alzheimer's or something? Am I just not being compassionate about this? Or, is he just so lonely he doesn't care that he's (pathetically) calling the same wrong number over and over? Could the son be dead? Long dead? And the father mentally ill? Is there a reason they haven't spoken? Who is at fault? On and on.
So I guess we'll see what happens next. For now, I've decided not to call him back. I did before and tried to explain we had no clue who the son was but obviously that didn't stick. I would probably end up getting frustrated and snotty on the phone and this just isn't worth it. It seems like he's calling during the day, and we're not here then anyway.
posted by Anna's Mommy at
7:21 PM
1 Comments:
I think you should call this man and explain to him once more that his son is not residing at that number.
This old man might die thinking his son never returned his calls, that's an even greater disappointement then not being able to find him.
At least he will move on.
It's the right thing to do.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home