ARE YOU GOING TO GET
THAT?
Years ago, when
there was only one telephone in the house, a receiver on a rotary dial cradle, if
the phone rang, it had to be answered.
All calls were from actual persons, either someone you knew or a wrong
number. There were no solicitation
calls, no surveys, no scams, no machines, only people, and usually someone you
knew.
When the
phone rang, it would just keep ringing.
It would not go to a message after the fourth ring, it would just keep
ringing. The person on the other end
would not hang up, they would ring forever.
They knew you must be home, and they knew it was a long walk through the
house to get to the only phone. The
phone ring was loud, it was piercing, and it could not be ignored.
If you chose
to not pick up, you were sure to run into the caller the next day. “Where
were you, I called, why didn’t you answer?”
Back in the
day, you always picked up. The call
might be important. There was no
screening; you had to pick up to find out who was calling.
Today, when
the phone rings, most of the time you know who it is just by the ring
tone. The incoming number is displayed
on the phone, or in our case on the TV screen.
You are told the number that is calling and where the call is from. If you do not know the number or do not know
anyone from where the call is coming, it is probably a nuisance call.
Mrs. Cranky
is old school. If the phone rings, she
must answer it.
If I don’t
know the number, especially if it is coming from some strange state, I just let
it ring. If it is a call to my cell phone
I can respond instantly with a message without answering. I send “I’m
on my way” just to confuse the incoming call a-hole.
Mrs. Cranky
always answers every call. If she is
sleeping, she wakes up instantly and answers the phone. At least five times a night we have this
conversation.
DOODLE DE
DOODLE…DOODLE DE DOODLE… “Hello.”
“BLA, bla blob blob blobble, bobble o blob?”
“Please take me off your list!”
“Who was that?”
“Some credit card scam.”
“Why do you even pick it up, you know
the call was from Memphis? Do you know
anyone from Memphis?”
“It could be important.”
“Like what? And they could leave a message if it was so
important.”
“Maybe I won something, a car, a
bucket of money, you never know.”
“Yeah, maybe, except you haven’t even
entered any contests. It drives me crazy that you have to pick up every call.”
“You’re a jerk!”
DING DONG
DING…DING DONG DING…DING DONG DING
“Are you going to get that?”
“No, it’s from Montana; I don’t know
anyone from Montana.”
“I don’t know how you can just let it
ring, it drives me crazy.”
“Maybe I’m just a jerk.”
I'm like you; I'm not one to answer a phone if I don't know who is calling. I remember growing up, everyone being eager to run to see who was calling. Now I'm happy if hubby runs for the phone.
ReplyDeletebetty
By the time i was old enough to answer the phone, we had two. The private number was answered every time. The public one was only answered if Dr. Born Organized Clean was on call. If he wasn't on call, the same phone book that listed our number listed the doctor's exchange number to call, so the person would call that number and a message was passed to the doctor on call. It worked.
ReplyDeleteNow, if i don't know the number, i usually let it go to voice mail, and if they leave a message, i know it's important and i listen and call back.
It is interesting how our phone habits have changed in the century and a bit more since the device was invented.so
ReplyDeleteI don't answer call on my mobile from unknown numbers but I always answer the house phone. It's an ancient phone, not even a mobile and I never give out the number so only about 5 people know it so I assume it's important. Unfortunately our number is very similar to a letting agent in town so several times a week people transpose the number and ring me instead.
ReplyDeleteI do not answer the phone unless I see it is my family.....or certain friends...maybe I am a jerk to...But I am good with that...No shame in my game
ReplyDeletefor a couple of years, about a decade or so ago, i didn't have the phone ring at all. i let the machine get every call and all you heard was a 'click' if the house was quiet. it was all because of my mother-in-law driving me nuts. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm a jerk too. If I don't recognize the number I'm not answering. Wait, we aren't jerks, we're smart.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day. ☺
Shortly after my dad died, our service carrier implemented the caller ID on our TV. I had no idea this service was being given to us, and I was shocked when I read on our TV screen that the call we were receiving was from my late dad. If only it HAD been him.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen this?
DeleteMy husband always answers his phone, even when we're in the middle of some engrossing activity. When he was a kid, an incoming call might mean a new customer for one of the family's several paper routes. He's 72 now but he hasn't outgrown it yet.
ReplyDeleteTurn off the ringer!! Let 'em eat phonemail ....
ReplyDeleteRemember the party line? Or did you always have a private line, you rich bast--I mean Jerk? You knew it wasn't your ring, but you could lift the receiver and breathe shallowly and listen in on other calls. Not that I would do that, of course!
ReplyDeleteThen I'm a jerk too.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, the good old days when the call was always for you--cept for a few wrong numbers that were never unpleasant. Now days my phone has to prove it is a real person or it just goes to voice mail. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Cranky. I get literally 5 (sometimes more) nuisance calls a day. I not only don't answer, I block that caller from ever being able to call again. I must have hundreds on my block list. Hey....it's a start. :)
ReplyDeleteI have everyone I know in my "phonebook" so if I get a call from one of them, the screen shows me who is calling. If I get a call from an unknown number I may or may not answer, depending on time of day. Calls between 4pm and 8pmare usually telemarketers, any other time it could be my older son who gets a new phone more often than I change my socks, so I never know his number.
ReplyDelete