The phone rang.

Then, it rang again.

And again it rang.

I debated picking it up. I was busy procrastinating about which project I should procrastinate about, a relaxed frame of mind, as I studied the face of the rock from which there was that landslide.

The damned thing was still ringing.

The number wasn’t known to me. That would mean either the bank or the police or someone else I didn’t want to talk to. I collect numbers of people I talk to, and if you’re not on the list this is what happens. If you want to get on the list, you have to be of interest somehow.

Mentally, it’s a coin flip as to whether I answer because emotionally I just don’t like the ringing device very much.

Heads. I answered the phone.

“Hi, is this <your_name_here>?”

“Hi, who is this?”

“Hi, is this <your_name_here>?”

“Hi, who is this?”

“This is <insert name here> with <insert bank name here> bank.”

Friendly, I respond, “Oh, hi, how are you?”

This always throws them off. The disarming sincere query that twists the script. Will she fall for it?

“Oh, I’m fine! As you know, <insert bank name here> is doing a loan drive and…”

Oh good, she did!

“Oh, loans!”, I take over in a charming and sincere voice, “Those are the things where they give me money and I give them more money back, right?”

A sound of a suppressed laugh, so I continue, “That’s a fair summary, isn’t it?”

“Yes, Mr. Rampersad, that is!”, she responds, laughing through it.

“Well, I just don’t like or want anything right now where I’d be willing to do that, so thank you. Have a great day!”, finishing on a genuine and sincere note.

She responds sincerely in the same way.

She has a job to do, I cut to the quick, we both moved along with our Saturday, both a bit better for it. We both got a laugh, and at the expense of the 3rd party who wasn’t on the phone.