The Strange Tale of a Mysterious Caller
It was Saturday, and while I was in the middle of my shift, working on my Excel sheet report, my phone rang.
This happened a couple of weeks ago, and I just wanted to share it with you in case you have experienced a similar event or know anything about receiving unknown calls from strangers.
It's my habit not to talk when answering a call from an unrecognized number. I let the person on the other end speak first. I've received calls from unknown people, commonly known as wrong calls or wrong numbers, and the last one was quite ridiculous.
So, here's how it went: right after I slid my phone screen to answer the call, a male voice started talking. The first word he spoke was a profanity, and he appeared to be agitated with his tone. Then talks continuously. I was a bit shocked and frozen for about three seconds. Instead of informing him that it was a wrong call, I put my phone down but didn't hang him up. I just let him talk and said to myself, "It's alright. Let him express what he feels. He will hang up eventually." I couldn't understand what he was saying, although I could hear his angry voice, as if he wanted to condemn me.
He talked for about two minutes and eighteen seconds, then hung up the phone. Perhaps he realized that no one was listening to him or that he had said enough. I felt a little nervous and wondered who that person could be. I started thinking about someone I might have offended, but I couldn't think of anyone because I hadn't been going anywhere since I started working from home. My daily routine was to take my kids to school before starting my shift and then going to the market with my wife every week. Who could it be? So, to stop myself from stressing out, I just considered it a wrong call.
Just as I thought it was over, I received a text message from the same number the next day. The message read, "You mother*cker! You ruined my relationship with Helen. You will have karma too."
I'm not a person with a lot of patience, but this time, I tried to remain calm. I replied, "Good day, sir. Who is the person you are trying to reach? It seems you are very angry with that person. Perhaps you have the wrong number. Could you please tell me his name?"
He replied with the person's name followed by scornful messages. I responded, saying I wasn't the person he was looking for. I thought he would be convinced and realize he had the wrong number because he didn't text back in the next couple of hours.
Surprisingly, he texted again after seven hours, repeating the same thing. This man truly believed I was the person he was looking for. He seemed determined to seek revenge against Eddie, who, according to him, had ruined their relationship.
I was beginning to lose my patience with this person because he had called again within the same day and texted the same message. I even considered pretending to be Eddie and fooling him completely. However, in the end, I decided to block his number. I could have blocked his number right after his first call, but I didn't. Most wrong callers don't dial again if they realize they have the wrong number. I wanted him to realize he had the wrong number for the person he wanted to call, but ironically, he firmly believed it was the right one.
I realized that this person might be naïve, or shall I say, a total idiot. I apologize for the word, but it's quite fitting. How could he be so sure that I am Eddie? Texting and calling and using scornful words won't solve the problem. It's just a waste of time and money. Even if I were Eddie, there's nothing he could do but complain. I don't know the nature of his relationship with Helen, but it appears to be a fragile one. If you truly love someone, you ensure that nothing can tear you apart, and you protect them at all costs.
Anyway, I don't know him or what he's going through in his life. The way he writes his text messages and speaks doesn't match my own. Fortunately, I'm a family man now, and I managed not to let his actions provoke me.
When was the last time you receive a wrong call? Was it worst than what I have just experienced? Please share in the comment below.
Thanks for reading.
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Lead image generated with Leonardo.ai
Prompt: Silhouette of a man on the phone.