it's 2:23am on sunday morning and i've just hung up the phone.....

it's been 20 years, (ok, really it's been 18 or maybe 19 years) since i have heard from, or spoken with, paula, via any manner of communication. a few days ago i was thrilled and surprised beyond words to find i'd had a few emails from her during my most recent 2 week stint of time "off air" with the email machine.

tonight, i had several more, in depth and very, very, very informative and personally provocative notes from her, including her wish to speak with me after 11pm my time, any night, since she has small children and a full time job in addition to the nesting duties. of course, knowing that she wanted to speak to me and realizing that it was only midnight'ish in nyc, and since i apparantly had no plans to leave the apartment (again!), i decided i'd try to ring her.

"hello?...."

"hello." i responded

"ummm....hello....?"

"yes, i said that, as did you....am i correct in assuming i have reached paula's number please?

"ummm....who is this....?"

"ummm.....who is this?" i asked back to the faltering voice on the quiet line....

"i asked you first...." (smart ass)

"i'm sorry, i must have dialed the wrong number. goodnight."

click

then i redialed.

"hello...?"

"hi, this is wade, is paula at home please?"

"did you just call and hang up on me?"

"i'm sorry, who is this? i did place a call to paula earlier, but, i must have had the wrong number, whoever answered seemed incapable of responding except with rhetorical questions...."

"ummm, wade, i'm sorry....paula's in bed already...."

"ummm, i'm sorry to call so late (when the heck did paula and her husband get so much damned older than me?) but she emailed and told me her timing....could you please let her know i called and i'll try her again another night. i'm so sorry to have disturbed you."

"no problem. i'll tell her."

"oh, and by the way, you might like to introduce yourself...i'm assuming you're her....husband? or maybe her....brother-in-law? but just so i don't think you're a burgulur or some sort of despot hiding out in her house and keeping her family hostage....that might make for a messy weekend...."

as he interrupts my train of thought, "i'm sorry, i'm her husband, my name is paul."

ummm, yeah, i knew that, check the blog...you also work at microsoft, which is why i've had so much fun yanking your chain.....then of course i replied "very nice to meet you paul, i've heard about you since high school, but never knew you were real until the other day....you've got a great catch and your kids are gorgeous....i'll let you go, but i'm sure we'll speak again sometime."

"ok, well, have a nice weekend. goodnight.....hey, wade, wait....paula's been on the phone the entire time with the mute button on...i'm sorry, i didn't know she'd answered it the second time...i just heard her cackling in the other room....hold on...she's right here....(muffled with his hand over the phone speaker i think - jeesh paula, do you know how embarrassing that was....i just made an ass out of myself and you were there, why didn't you say something....now your friend thinks i'm a total moron...click."

"HELLO!!!!!" and then the transcript stops because it's the transcribers night off and i simply hate to type, no matter how many words a minute i can crank out....i type fast as i talk, true dat...but i seldom speak and prefer the quiet and solitude of a non-typing reality for the moment.

wadeo