Telephone Etiquette or How Not To Answer Your Phone

I just love caller ID. You can screen your calls and just not answer when someone calls that you don't want to talk to. If you answer your phone and are speaking to a person that you don't wish to converse with you then have to manufacture an excuse to end the call because no one really wants to be perceived as rude.

This morning I was chatting with my lovely daughter Becky about a cruise that we are planning for our Christmas presents to each other. I had spent the night online looking at the different cruise options and called to dump it in her lap because she is so much better at the planning of such an adventure. My phone was dying and I had to go to the bathroom so I told her to call me back on my home phone in about 5 minutes so that I could properly "finish". I no sooner sat down than the phone rang. It stopped after 4 rings and rang again a minute later. I am thinking that my daughter is just doing this to me as a joke. I hurried... and really had not finished if you get my drift when the damn phone rang again!! I picked it up without glancing at the caller ID and stated in a loud voice "WHAT!!!!!!!! I WAS POOPING!!!!!! I then heard a choked laugh, a masculine choked laugh and I compounded my gaffe by saying "oh shit, who is this?"It was Javier, a lovely representative from one of the cruise lines I had investigated the night before. He was having trouble talking and I was trying to fill in the silence with inane chatter some of which was about how it was nice to be regular. He continued to try to talk and then would start to laugh again. We finally got down to business and I asked him about rates and rooms. Then he tells me innocently I am sure, that the bathrooms are lovely and not far from the bed area which started the laughter all over again. I told him that he needed to talk with Becky and gave him her phone number requesting he not call for 5 minutes so that I could tell her he was calling. I called my daughter and filled her in on my phone etiquette lapse and told her Javier would be calling. He did call her and the laughter continued according to her. You just know as soon as he got off the phone he told everyone in his office. I even said that at one point and his answer was "well yes(laugh, laugh)I sure will tell everyone"
You all have a nice day ya'hear!!