Last week I was that annoying person on a cell phone in a public place. The phone call went on, and although I could have ended it, it would have set the wrong tone for resuming the conversation at a later time. So, I didn’t end it. However, it was easy to sense that those around were just a little disquieted. Since that time, I realized that sometimes it’s necessary to allow the call, even when it is a bit disturbing to those around because some callers simply need to talk at that particular time whether it’s business or personal. And when you have no where to go, what are you to do?
In the past, I wasn’t annoyed when an adult conversation took place in a mature way. What was annoying was when someone talked on and on about their trials and tribulations, sending a flash of uneasiness in the area of those having to listen. The one source of comfort in that situation is enjoying the fact that you’re not the one at the other end of that call. Then there are those days when all is subdued, you’re in a quiet place, or using public transportation, or reading a book, or having a pleasant dining experience, suddenly an irritating voice comes out of nowhere, the subjects being discussed are office politics and a relationship gone wrong (very wrong), and you’re taken aback. Then again, there are those phone conversations that are really funny, and you don’t mind being a part of it, and you think to yourself, this person should have a talk show. I wonder whether they’re in the entertainment field. They’re hilarious. And you silently say, thanks for the laughs.
But, alas, my phone conversation last week on public transportation wasn’t of that ilk, and so I apologize to those who sat patiently waiting til it ended, and to those who directed a hairy eyeball my way, I say sometimes a call can’t be ended just like that. I know though that you wanted peace and quiet with your newspaper before returning home. I’m sorry if I disrupted the flow for you. But I must explain that the engines were louder than usual which caused the voice to be louder than usual. And as I’m writing, it’s dawning on me how loud it all must have been then.