Phone Etiquette

There I lay in the dreary light peeking through the drapes. Half asleep, half awake ...... just drifting ...... dogs snuggled next to me, all warm ......... gray light ......... no real reason to get up early ....... I think hear the phone ringing. No, maybe I was dreaming. Then I hear it again, I am sure this time. Before I can finish the debate I am having with myself, it stops after three rings. One foot was out of the covers and before I can pull it back, the ringing starts again. I get up and head out of the bedroom and after three rings it stops before I reach it. Then the cell phone starts ringing (not mine, his, I only give my number to people I don't mind getting calls from).


I pick up the phone and scroll back wondering who was calling with such urgency. Something must be amiss. Maybe there is a geyser from a broken pipe spewing water skyward ........ or a fire .....or some other emergency has befallen the kampground and three different people have called to alert us. But, why have they ended the calls after only three rings?? Is there a gunman loose shooting everyone on the third ring? My imagination is working without benefit of caffiene. I grab the cell phone and head back to the bedroom, a phone in each hand. I awaken he who sleeps blissfully in any situation and toss his cell phone on the bed next to him as I check to see who has called on the land line .................


First call was at 8:01, second call was at 8:01, third call was at 8:02. Same caller, all three calls, then the same caller calls the cell number. The cell number to be used in the event that a call to the business line is unanswered. You know, like an emergency. Like ........ the building is on fire. And, why would you hang up after only three rings? Even if the office were open with me standing right next to the phone, there are still situations that might prevent me from answering the phone right away. So, if you need to talk to someone, I suppose you call three times in a matter of minutes. Why not let the phone ring nine times in one call? After six rings, you will get the answering machine and you can then convey your message. But, I suppose, with this method you will get my attention and I will be ever so pleasant when I finally make it to the phone before you hang up, right?


So, you may be wondering what was so urgent. It was the company that we purchase our propane gas from. They taxed the last delivery. They aren't supposed to tax what we sell, just the tank that feeds our residence. He who was running some of his endless errands happened to be near their office yesterday and stopped by to tell them of the error. We have been purchasing from them for 7 years and this is the first time they have taxed us. The phone calls, the THREE phone calls in less than two minutes, the calls that pulled me out of bed before I was ready to be up and about .............. They can't seem to locate our tax exempt number. Really. That is the problem that prompted three calls in succession with such a sense of urgency.