A few weeks ago, my boss's boss insisted I give her boss - yes, that's my boss's boss's boss (don't you love bureaucracy)- my phone number because she (by boss's boss) was getting tired of getting calls at 5:00 a.m. from him (her boss) to ask me (her employee's employee) questions (of course in a bureaucracy it is the person at the lowest level who actually has an answer). She gave him permission to contact me directly (thus thwarting the inefficiency of bureaucracy and allowing herself an extra hour and one half of sleep). Since then, I have become accustomed to getting calls at strange hours - like the middle of dinner and during my morning workout because he (my boss's boss's boss) works late and gets up early.
So hearing the phone ring while I'm sound asleep, is really nothing shocking for me anymore, though it used to be (another story about my boss's boss calling).
Last night the phone range at about 12:30 (I didn't check the time until the caller asked what time it was).
I answered the phone with a sleepy, "Hello." and heard, "Answer the f***** phone." (keeping this family friendly and seeing just how many times I can insert a parenthetical comment in a single blog) in response, so I did the obvious and said, "Hello." again. To which I received the same, "Answer the f***** phone!" In my stupor, I again said, "Hello."
The scene was repeated a few more times (I think a single sentence paragraph is a parenthethical comment too...).
Finally, the party on the other end, began to speak. After a bit, he asked, "Do you know who this is?" I could only reply that I had no clue. He then told me his name, and in my sleepiness, it did not ring the tiniest bell...
...for a little while...
...until he identified that we had chatted online for years. He had told me earlier in the day that he was going to a party and would likely get rather intoxicated. So now I have an internet friend calling to chat while he is drunk and I'm sound asleep. Neither state promises much good communication(though my accelerated heart rate when my boss's boss's boss calls gets my mind to working rather quickly).
All in all the conversation was rather short. He was too worried about the girl coming in to drink his peachy drink and I was just thinking I wanted to get back in bed.
But I woke up with an idea. I was going to call him back at a time when I felt he would likely be sleeping and starting to feel the effects of a hangover. The phone ringing would be good to give his head a throb or two (I also wanted to check to make sure he had not died of alchohol poisoning). Fortunately all was well when I did call.
There is much more I could tell about the conversation, but I think I will hold that in reserve. M. is a person I consider a dear friend and someone who has the talent to become a superstar if he wishes. I'll save the rest of the phone call until his superstar status has him wealthy enough to pay me to keep from telling it.
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