People need to be more careful.

3.7.08

5:10 pm

And here's why...

Occasionally, my phone here will ring.

Sometimes it's a wrong number, sometimes silence, some times even, a person trying to reach this number.

And every once in a while...it's something different.

With the outdated phone system we have here, every once in a while, the phone will ring and I will pick up and find myself in the midst of someone else's phone call.

If it's two people, I'll just hang up and reconnect them, but sometimes it's someone voice mail.

Let me explain, say you wanted to called someone's cell phone from a phone here.

You get their machine and hang up.

Well.

For some strange reason, it will pop over to me so that when I pick up, I'll hear that person's answering machine message and,if I want, I can then leave a message.

I often do.

They aren't normal.

I have never done anything more...bad?...than that.

Until today.

So, the phone rings and I say, chipper as a chipper, "Operator may I help-"

I hear a voice cut itself off...and then begin again.

"I didn't get that.  Say: 1 the policy balance, 2: another sum"

I say "1".

The robot informs me that: "Your balance is $188.44.  Would you like to deduct that from your checking account?"

"Yes" I say.  I wanted to, very much.

"Okay, now our records show you've done this before.  Does your checking account end in 4418?"

Mine doesn't, but I'm sure someone's does.

"Yes" I intoned.

"Okay, your policy balance has been paid off.  This transaction might not show up on your statement until-"

I hung up, bored with his candor.

Then I paused.

Then I laughed my fucking ass off.

I just helped pay off someone's policy balance, whatever the fuck that is.

I'm a good person.

And they need to update this phone system.