I was looking forward to a quiet evening at home. As soon as I walked in the door, though, the phone rang.
Paolo: Hello.
Evelyn: Hi, could I speak to Tony?
Paolo: He’s not here right now. Can I take a message?
Evelyn: Do you know when he’ll be back?
Paolo: No, I don’t.
Evelyn: Okay. I’ll call back later. Thanks.
……
Ten minutes later, the phone rang again.
Paolo: Hello.
Pam: Hi, is Tony there?
Paolo: No, he’s out.
Pam: Could I leave a message?
Paolo: Sure. Give me a second to get something to write with…Okay, I’m ready.
Pam: Could you tell him that Pam called and ask him to call me back as soon as he can.
Paolo: Does he have your number?
Pam: He should, but I’d better give it to you. It’s 279-555-6347.
Paolo: Okay, I’ll tell him.
Pam: Thanks.
…..
As soon as I put down the receiver, the phone rang again. I couldn’t believe it.
Paolo: Hello.
Susan: Hi, is this Tony?
Paolo: No, I’m his roommate, Paolo. Tony’s not here right now.
Susan: I need to get a hold of him. Do you have his cell number?
Paolo: Uh, yeah, I do, but I’m not sure he wants me to give it out.
Susan: Oh, I’m sure he’d want me to have it.
Paolo: I'll tell you what. Why don’t I take your number and have him call you back?
Susan: I really need to get a hold of him right away.
Paolo: I’ll give him your message as soon as he gets home.
Susan: Fine. This is Susan and my number is 742-555-3655. Please make sure he gets it. It’s important. Bye.
Paolo: Bye. As soon as she hung up, I took the phone off the hook for the rest of the night. I’d had enough of being Tony’s answering service for one night!
Script by Dr. Lucy Tse