When I turned on my cell today, I discovered I had 5 voice mail messages. I was a little concerned something bad had transpired to someone I know.
The female voice that tells me everything about my voice mail announced, "First message. Private and personal."
Private and personal? I'd never heard it say that before: I braced myself.
For... I'm not sure what. A pause, static, some sort of grunts made by a deep male voice, a female voice saying something in the background. I got the impression I was getting called by someone mentally challenged, but then there was a spate of Spanish from the male voice that I didn't understand and then click.
2nd message: shuffling, grunts, the female voice in the background encouraging the man holding the phone, "Go ahead." This time he spoke in measured English, "I need my clothes. Now!" There was more background noise; it seemed like he was waiting for her to tell him what to say or do next.
3rd message: Clearly, he's exasperated. He said something about having to be at a job, more shuffling and grunting, silence, then click.
4th message: several seconds of silence.
5th message: more silence.
Good grief, what is it with this cell phone number? And why is every wrong number some urgent message lately? I reckon the urgent-ness is why they ignore my voice and leave their messages anyway, but these persistent mumbling strangers are getting on my nerves.
Perhaps I'll change my outgoing message to: Hi, you've reached (---)--- ----. If you're not trying to reach Claire, kindly piss off.
One year ago at TTaT: Bonafide, Three Breaks: Part 1
tags: cell+phones, wrong+numbers
To tell you the truth, I kind of miss the days when answering machines, voice mail, and cell phones did not even exist (well, just a bit.)
ReplyDeleteI get what you're saying. It's not the technology that I find bothersome- it's how people use it. If I don't feel like being disturbed (which is a great deal of the time), my cell is off.
ReplyDeleteIt's the loud talkers in restaurents and elsewhere- particularly when they have company- that drive me crazy. How rude!
A friend of mine wrote me an e-mail from the Newark airport, in which she was complaining about all the folks on their cells around her. Really annoying, she said. I totally agree. Once, I was on a plane sitting next to a guy who talked on this cell phone until the stewardess had to tell him to tun it off, and he turned it back on the minute the place had landed.
ReplyDelete