Phone Call at 3a.m.

/ johnlmalone

I get a phone call at 3a.m.

Who calls at 3a.m?

You think the worst.

I glance across at the screen.

The call’s from Algeria.

I don’t pick up.

I don’t know anyone from Algeria.

I used to get phone calls from ‘my mate’

in Mogadishu asking me how my bank account’s going

but since I told him I’m a pisspot he’s stopped calling.

But Algeria?

I don’t even know where the fuck it is.

Africa somewhere?

But here’s the funny thing.
It rings three times then silence.

What’s the point of that?

Is it a scam?

How can you scam someone unless you speak to them first?

Perhaps he’s inordinately shy.

Perhaps he’s a mute.

Perhaps he only speaks Martian.

I knew a young man once, Simon whose father was the Lord Mayor of Mars but that’s another story.

I look up Algeria on the map.

No clues there.

But he’s there. Somewhere.

On his cell phone.

Now who shall I phone tonight? he wonders.

Whose puffy slumbers can I puncture?

Bizarre.

70 thoughts on “Phone Call at 3a.m.”

  1. I used to get calls from nice young Indian men telling me they worked for, ahem, “Windows” and that there was a terrible virus on my computer. I would say things like, “That’s a shame because I really need someone to clean my upstairs windows.” It got to the point where I told them I had to go to the other room for some paperwork and set the phone down and, of course, never come back. They didn’t turn out to be such nice young men. 🙂

    Liked by 4 people

  2. Phone a stranger…should be a new game show. Can only imagine what one might find randomly punching numbers and then waiting to see if their lucky number answered. I might chicken out like your Algerian friend, let it ring a few times and then just say, guess it’s a sign. Would you have picked up if it continued?

    Liked by 2 people

  4. Funny, John. Seems as though in pandemic isolation, they’re finding that more people seem willing to chat with strangers – sales calls, wrong numbers, scammers. But at 3am? Don’t think so.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. My oldest grandson once phoned Yoko Ono with my cell phone. I saw him on my phone and took it away from him to apologise to whomever it was that he had called. That was when I found out. She was a very gracious lady. We spoke for a few moments and then I let her get back to sleep. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Beware. Had you picked up the phone, you would have paid…in ISD rates. The thing is, if you get a call at 3am you are too panicked to think clearly, so pick up. And you pay for the call. After that regardless of whether you pick up or not, you keep paying whenever the scammer happens to call you. My mom in law had to change her number because of it.

    Liked by 2 people

  22. I got a call from Tanzania….. few weeks back…. didnt pick up because it’s you probably a scam 😂
    When i do answer calls no one replies back and i get a notification saying that the number doesn’t exist

    Like

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