This happened about a month ago. I was checking my mail when the phone rang. I picked it up, and heard a voice, female and unknown. She,however, recognized my voice immediately. "Hello, beta, how are you? How are your father and mother? How is your brother? College is going on? How is your health now?......blah blah..." She just went on, giving me no time to talk except for uttering monosyllables;"Yes, ya, fine, hmm". Two minutes into this 99-percent-one-sided conversation and I still had no idea who it was. Suddenly, she asked " You recognized my voice,na?" and she actually paused for my answer.

I hung up.

I'm not very good at remembering names and voices, and in situations like these, I do the darnedest things. But people who don't announce themselves in a phone conversation tick me off. Its ok if they're close trelatives or friends, but folks who call only during Diwali?? Insane. Then there are those people who answer your hello with a hello to which you're forced to say hello again, and the "hello-hello" tennis goes on for quite some time. Hey,I don't give up first.

My Dad once got a call from an obscure relative, who rambled on for ten minutes non stop while my dad was wondering who the hell it was. Then, the caller says, "Hey its me, man, Manohar! What, you didn't recognize me?". My Dad is a gentleman, and so he replied politely " No, I didn't sorry." I am a lady, so I probably would have cursed him with the choicest words.

The best part? There are the ones who call you, and then as soon as you say hello ask you who YOU are. We get a couple of those per month.



There's never a dull moment in life.