One Digit Off

Most people have phone numbers that are a digit or so off from some type of business.

When I was a kid, our phone number ended in 0962. The sporting goods store down the street—their phone number ended 0926. One time, mom mother actually got in a fight with someone on the phone about our phone number and the sporting goods’ phone number. The fight involved her getting out the phone book, ordering the other person to get out their phone book, and they each looked up the phone numbers.

There was yelling. And, at the end, my mother was quite pleased with herself.

I’m not kidding. I wish I were. But I’m not kidding. I couldn’t make this up if I wanted to.

Currently, the phone number Zel and I have is one digit off from an automobile wrecker. The second number in our phone number is a 5, while theirs is a 1.

Sometimes, we go weeks without a wrong number call.

Sometimes they ask, “Is this the wrecking company?”

Usually, we’re very polite, and say, “No, you have the wrong number.”

Sometimes, we get called several times in one day. Today was one of those days.

The first call came as I was changing Baby Kaos’ diaper, and I was in the bedroom, and the cordless, which has caller id, gets fuzzy back there, so I didn’t know who was calling and I picked up the phone.

The man on the other end was nice. I can tell this about a person because the nice people apologize after I tell them they have the wrong phone number.

Baby Kaos and I then laid down for a nap.

Then, about an hour later the phone rang. The phone in the bedroom was off, and I was expecting Zel to call, so I picked up.

I said, “No, you have the wrong number” in a bit of a terse manner, didn’t get a response, and so hung up the phone. Not a nice person.

I came out to the living room, and saw that the dude had called twice. Apparently it was the second call that woke me up, because I didn’t hear it ring the first time.

Not only was he not nice, but he was not bright.

Honestly, now, if you misdial, do you look up the number again and make sure you dial very carefully so that you don’t misdial a second time? Or do you just hit the redial button?