A TELEPHONE CONVERSATION between friends

Kumar : (Picks up the receiver of ringing phone) Hello! This is phone number 25832411. This is Kumar here.

Rajini : Hello! I’m Rajini. May I speak to Radha please?

Kumar : Just a minute. Kindly be on the line.

Radha : Hi Rajini! How are you? Where were you all these days? Everytime I called your landline, the answering voice from the exchange said that your number did not exist!

Rajini : I’ve changed my residence. I now stay at Annanagar and my phone number is 26154848. I couldn’t call you because I had taken up a new job - a telephone operator
in a company in Annanagar.

Radha : How do you like your job?

Rajini : It’s interesting but I find most people don’t know how to talk on a phone. They yell into the receiver loud enough to shatter my eardrums! They don’t introduce themselves either.

Radha : Why should they?

Rajini : Radha, it is an office. Someone I don’t know by voice may ring up for a person who is not present in the office. I must either convey a message or atleast inform him who had called. The caller will just bang down the receiver before I can complete my enquiry for a name or message.

Radha : I can well imagine your plight! Banging down the receiver without a ‘sorry’ or ‘thank you’ speaks poorly of one’s behaviour. I’ve often experienced it myself. The phone will ring in the middle of the night, and when I pick up the receiver, the caller will ask for some unknown person. Before I can complete my answer that there is no such person here, the caller will disconnect without so much as a ‘sorry’ for disturbing my sleep!

Rajini : I think we should start a short Summer Course on “Telephone Etiquette”.

Radha : Yes, we should! Let’s do it. We’ll plan it! Summer hols is still far away!

Rajini : When do I get to meet you again?

Radha : Will you be free on Sunday?

Rajini : Yes, I’ll call you up and fix the time, Ok? Bye for now.

Radha : Bye!