WRONG NUMBER

My phone rang and woke me up in the middle of the night – 12:45am. The phone was just right beside me, so it was louder than the usual. Thinking it was my 6:15am alarm, I franticly reached for my phone, half-asleep and eyes still shut, only to find out that it wasn’t. I realized that I forgot to put my phone on silent mode (the alarm and ring tone of my phone are the same). The number kept flashing on my phone, it was a local number, and obviously it was someone whose number was not in my contact list. I was hesitant to answer it at first. But maybe, just maybe, I was thinking it could be someone I know. It might be an emergency. A bit pissed off for having been awoken earlier from my slumber, I answered with a husky voice.

Me: Hello?

Man: Hello? Si Billy ba toh? Billy! (the man said in a cheerful-excited voice)

Me: I’m sorry, wrong number.

Man: Billy! Andito ka pa ba sa Singapore? (still in a cheerful-excited voice)

Me: I’m sorry. I think you got the wrong number.

Man: Huh!? Then who's this lor? (now his voice sounded a bit fierce)

At the back of my mind I was thinking, I’m not obliged to answer his question. Why should I tell him my name? He was the one who called me. I paused for a few seconds and then sharply answered.

Me: I’m Ramon. Sorry, I think you really got the wrong number

Man: Ramon right?

And before I could say yes, the man had already hang-up the phone. What a jerk! The annoying thing is that, he never even said “sorry.” It never hurts to say sorry, especially when it’s your fault or when you know you’re bothering someone else for this matter. I think the man is educated enough to have reached Singapore. I presume that he would also have a bit of knowledge about phone etiquettes. If not, then it’s definitely time for him to learn about it. Moreover to the lack of phone etiquette, what concerned me most was that the person is a fellow countryman.