Phone Skills

I've recently been thinking about an old friend I haven't talked to in a while. So I came up with a brilliant plan: I pulled out my cell phone and called her. But what did I hear on the other end? Not my friend's voice. Not a recording asking me to leave a message. Her husband answered the phone. Dum dum DUM!

My mind went completely blank. I know there's something I'm supposed to say in this situation... but my mind was not prepared. Everyone I talk to these days has a cell phone. When I call, I expect to communicate directly with the person I'm trying to reach. I'm not supposed to have to communicate with OTHER people.

Me:           "Hi, uh, I'm trying to reach [friend], I'm not sure I have the right number?"
Husband:   "Oh, yeah, we just have the one phone, you dialed right."
Me:           "Oh, okay. Thanks. Um. Can you... Can I... I could... leave a message?"
Husband:   "She's right here, let me get her for you."

The funny thing is, I call strangers all the time at work and know how to request the person I'm looking for, and leave a message if needed. I just never encounter this anymore in my social life. I'll guess this means I'll have to be more proactive. In the near future I will be implementing some training exercises to keep my phone skills sharply honed and ready for the unpredictable. Clearly this will be a top priority.