The Phone Rings

Around 4 or so, the phone rang yesterday at work. The caller ID was marked "Private." I answered, "Good afternoon, TLC studio. May I help you?"

A very smooth masculine voice said, "May I please speak with Sherrie Rose?"

I was silence for a moment. Only relatives call me "Sherrie Rose." I was curious so I said, "This is her."

"Hi there. Do you know who I am?" (I had no clue.)

"Your voice sounds familiar." IT did but... it could have been a voice from anyone I had dealt with at the studio or outside the studio... or in Greenville or ...wherever...the voice had an intimate quality and I assumed it was someone I might have dated a few times, because I remember all my loves--great and small. And he was no great or small love.

"It's Mike." (I hadn't dated a Mike in a looOOoong time...and how he got the studio number...well I don't know that part).

Then he went into all the things that had happened to him over the past 15 years...and I slowly remembered him--he was sort of a flame but...we never made it past 1st base--and my feelings towards him had been more on a friendship level than anything else. He had a bitter breakup at that time in his life and said a few things to me one day out of bitterness to women that ruffled my feathers. Once I am rubbed the wrong way, I am sort of done with a person.

From the sounds of what he said, his life hadn't changed any and he was still in a bad relationship or maybe at the end of it. I waited for him to get to the reason he called.

"...I am sick of her and her indecision between me and her ex-husband, so I took down my box of old address books. You know me, Sherrie Rose, I never throw anything out... and I went through them all, made a list of women who stay true to themselves, are honest and giving...and "Sherrie Rose" was at the top of a 3 name list."

He fell silence and I realized that was a high compliment from him so I said, "Thank you." And said nothing else and waited.

"So what have you been doing for the last 15 or so years?"

I said, "Working."

He asked, "Is life good?

I said, "Wonderful."

He asked, "Is there a man in Sherrie Rose's life?"

I said, "Yes."

He asked, "Is he solid? Is he sticking to your heart?"

I said, "Blissfully."

In a rush he said, "May you have a happy life, Sherrie Rose."

I said, "OK" and hung up the phone.

Staring at it I realized that another guy at the end of a bad relationship had let his fingers do the walking through his little black book(s) and found my name, called to see if I was available and now that he knows I'm not, is probably calling another woman using the same tactics.

I don't think I have ever done that, except a few times when I had heard some bad news about the person and called to express my sorrow or grief for them. But I've never looked to the past to find a replacement for the last person. I've always wanted to move on to the next love. I guess some people like to stay in familiar territory and so...they seek love with those women they once knew, ignoring all the reasons why they broke up with them in the first place.

Now I could have taken the time to get back at him for the things he said that caused me to say "Go to Hell." But I didn't. From what he said, he's been living it for a long time now.

I told one of my friends about the phone call and she laughed. "Sherrie, you gave him one word answers. That's so funny."

I felt I needed to answer him but I didn't feel he needed to know my private life. He lost that privilege years ago.