I don't know about you, but I seem to get a lot of wrong numbers. They either aren't paying attention to what numbers they're dialing, or they misunderstood the number when they first got it or something. Sometimes they're funny, sometimes confusing, sometimes frustrating, and sometimes entertaining. Here's a few of my favorite 'wrong number' encounters...
I answered my phone and this guy asked for Jack. I told him that there is no Jack at this phone number. "But, Jack HAS to be there, this is the number he gave me!" I then explained how I've had this same number forever, and that maybe he copied Jack's number down wrong. After 5 times of this guy calling and arguing with me that I have the wrong number, not him, I finally began to lose patience. My comment that made him and his buddies stop calling? "Well, maybe, just maybe, Jack gave you the wrong number on purpose because he doesn't want to really talk to you because A. you just don't get it, and B. you can sometimes be a stubborn pain in the butt" ...Never heard from HIM again...ever, lol. I don't like it much when a person misdials and then loudly cusses and hollers at you blaming YOU for answering the phone number HE called wrong.
A couple of months ago an elderly, confused lady called. She was trying to call her Dr at 10 O'clock at night, hoping to get his answering service. The first time she called, I politely informed her she had probably misdialed the number. Two more times she called, and the more I talked with her the more I knew that she must be having some kind of medical problem and really needed to speak with her Dr. So, I told her I was a hospice nurse, and asked her a few questions. Then I knew she really DID need to speak with her Dr. I asked if she lived alone. Yes. Any relatives nearby? No Then I asked where she was calling from...Brooklyn New York...and I live in Ohio! I then decided to ask for her Dr's name, and her name and address, as well as what hospital she usually goes to. I also asked for her phone number and area code. I usually don't go this far with a wrong number, but clearly this woman needed help. I got on the internet and searched for her Dr, in Brooklyn, at the name of the hospital she gave me. Long story short, I called the Dr's answering service for her, and passed along the medical info about what her health problem was. I gave them her phone number & address so they could look up her files. They were shocked that a wrong number from Ohio would take that kind of time to make sure a very ill woman got some needed treatment. With the Dr on his way for a house call, I called the lady back to tell her he is on his way. Sometimes you just have to play it by ear and do the right thing with a random act of kindness.
Today I got a text message with a picture from...I haven't a clue! I looked at this picture of these 2 fellows, and had never seen them before in my life. Judging from the picture, I'd say they're either at Bates Motel, The OK Corral, or maybe attending a rifle and knife convention? I looked at the phone number it was sent from and realized it was sent from a town where my oldest daughter lives...almost 3 hours away. So I sent them a text back: I don't know either of you, you must have dialed wrong. The surprise was that they actually apologized, which doesn't seem to happen much with wrong numbers.
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