Courtesy Calls

Like most people......I have a cell phone with call ID. And "like some people" when a call comes in from a number I don't recognize, I usually don't answer it thinking that it's proabably a telemarketer, someone with the wrong number or even just someone I don't want to speak to. A few nights ago at approximately 930pm, my cell phone rings. I find this particularly pecular becuase I'm not expecting a phone call after 9pm. I don't currently have a boyfriend, and usually my friends would give me a heads up if they could speak or email me until late. Immediately, I think it's an emergency involving my parents or family. I check the number. It's an area code I don't recoginize. I decide to let the call go to voicemail. No message is left.

5 minutes later, another phone call. I check the number and this time the call ID is blocked. I think about answering, but I let it go to voicemail. I think to myself (and maybe this isn't right), but whoever this is, if they want to hear from me, they'll leave a voicemail. No message left.

10 minutes later, another phone call, and it's almost 10pm. Now, I'm starting to get annoyed. If it were the police it would be a 310 or a 213 or a 323 area code. Or even a 916 area code for my parents in Sacramento. But this time, it's a friend named Marty. It's almost 10pm, and if Marty wants to talk to me, he can call at a reasonable hour and leave a voice message. This is not an appropriate time to call. It's a school night for crying out loud! No message left.

10 minutes later, another phone call. I've had it! It's past 10pm, and this is cutting into the Season Finale of South Park. The person on the other end of this phone better be happy that I have a DVR. I pick up the phone and here's the conversation:

Me: Hello?
Random Girl: Hi, is this Kathy?
Me: yes.
RG: Are you and Marty dating?
Me: excuse me? No, Marty and I are not dating.
RG: oh, well I saw your phone number in his cell phone and I thought you guys were dating.
Me: oh, I'm sorry, who is this?
RG: oh, this is his ex-wife.

(End Call - 1 minute)

Marty called two minutes later (and yes I picked up), and explained that the woman on the phone was not his ex-wife, it was his current girlfriend and she get's jealous. She went through his cell phone and started calling random girls in his phone.

So let me get this straight, based on nothing more than my phone number being in your boyfriend's cell phone, you assume we're dating. Nice work Sherlock Holmes.

Next time you want to pretend you are a 14 year old jealous little high school girl, could you at least call me between the hours of 9am and 5pm to accuse me of dating your boyfriend. It's not so much the content of the conversation that makes me pissed. I don't ask for much and maybe I'm just prudent. But, when did people with all this vast technology (email, cell phones, etc.) forget that other people have lives and deserve just a little courtesy. Is a little courtesy just so much to ask for?