Our next door neighbors directly to the east of us have a son who lives directly across the street from us. He is an only child and he is married with a son. And these are the people who are the subject of this post.
We were just on one of our 'road trips' this last week. Early in the morning--before 9:00 AM, our time--I got a phone call. (I always set up the call-forwarding when we go out of town, so this was a re-directed call from our home phone.) The guy on the other end asked if he could speak with M____ K___. I answered that there was no one by that name to talk to. He then spelled the last name--which was ours, which he couldn't pronounce to save his life--and I once again said that it WAS my last name, but not my first. He then asked for me, by using my FULL first, middle, and last names. He then asked if I live at our address. I answered in the affirmative to all he asked, so he went on. "I'm looking for (a name that didn't sound like ANYTHING I have ever heard) who lives at (the address I thought was our next door neighbors.)" When we went through the spelling of the name, I realized he was asking for someone related to our neighbors, but no one I recognized by the name, which I told him. "I've been trying to get hold of (woman's name) for a few days and I'm concerned about whether she is okay, or not." he told me. After a little bit more back-and-forth, I agreed to take his info and give it to our neighbors and ask them to pass on the message if they recognize the name.
After I told K about this conversation, it dawned on me--HUGE brain fart I had--that the guy was asking for the SON'S wife and not anyone in our next door neighbor's house. So, it started to come together: Someone was looking for our across-the-street neighbor's wife and he called me to try and track her down. Hmmm. So, here come the questions.
First, did the person making the call even KNOW the woman? He couldn't pronounce the name, so I would say 'no.' WHY would someone call a NEIGHBOR in order to track someone down--especially if they weren't close to the person? HOW did my name and number even show up on the caller's radar? Where did they find me from? What do they want the woman for? I want to think this may have been a bill collector, but I was under the (possibly mistaken) impression that they had to follow certain rules with their phone calls. I didn't think they were supposed to make calls before or after certain times--and I think before 9:00 AM is too early. I also didn't think they were allowed to call and harass--although, one phone call isn't really harassment--neighbors, co-workers, or employers, with phone calls. Am I wrong? So, my BIG question is: What are your thoughts on this? Was this a bill collector, or something else? When I brought the info across the street when we got home, the husband didn't seem to be concerned or surprised by my visit, so, does this mean he knew what was going on? Too many questions which I KNOW I will never get the answers to. Damn, but there IS a downside to not being close to your neighbors. ;)
Posing A Question
