I could not believe what I was hearing...

Today I've decided to participate in the Writer's Workshop for the first time.  We pick a prompt from Mama Kat's website and write about.  Easy right?  Well, we'll see!

The prompt I chose is....I picked up the phone and I could not believe what I was hearing.

Approximately two years ago I was sitting in the recliner in my living room on a Saturday morning going through some magazines that had piled up when the phone rang.  I did not recognize the phone number.  Normally when I don't recognize the phone number I let the machine pick up....that is what I invested in Caller ID for in the first place, so I don't have to get stuck talking to who I refer to as "stupid people" (aka tele marketers trying to sell me stuff!).  But today I decided to be brave....there was a name on there, not just some foreign number with no identification so I braved it and answered.

The guy on the other end mispronounced my name.  This is usually the first giveaway that the person on the other end doesn't know you and is calling for something you don't want to be bothered with.  I replied..."call back when you learn to say my name right".  I went to hang up but he was too quick...he apologized and I hesitated long enough to hear what he had to say.  Really, I just should have stuck with my theory of letting the machine pick up when I don't recognize the caller!

I could not believe what I was hearing....

He told me he had just spent the past hour picking up my garbage from in front of his house.  What?  Did I hear you correctly?  What are you talking about? 

He accused me of dumping my garbage on the main street in front of his house.  This conversation wasn't making any sense to me.  I told him I would never do such a thing.  He asked me how it got there then?  I replied that since its garbage day my theory would be that the bag fell out of the garbage truck.  He asked me "four bags?"  WHAT?!?!  This conversation was really making me uncomfortable and not making sense.  I handed the phone to my husband stating I had some whack job on the phone that is accusing us of dumping our garbage in front of his house.

My husband patiently listened to him.  He apologized and then hung up the phone.  I asked my hubby what else this whack job had to say.  He said things like someone in our house must have been really sick because there were a lot of tissues and some other stuff that he found in the trash.  My husband told me he didn't want to be too gruff with this guy because obviously he was able to track us down.

Afterwards I had a few thoughts:
1.This guy obviously doesn't know me...I'm too lazy to take the garbage from the kitchen to the garbage cans outside...that is a job of hubby or one of the kids.
2.  It makes ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE that this guy would think I'd dump my garbage in front of his house.  We live in a suburban area with garbage pick up...no need to do anything with my garbage other than put it to the curb. 
3.  If I were to dump it somewhere, why would I choose less than a mile from my own house?
4.  Ok, I'd be pissed if I was this poor guy picking up someone elses garbage for an hour.
5.  Hmmm...he was able to tell a lot about us by going through our trash.
6.  HOLY CRAP!!!!  I must not be very good about monitoring what I put in my trash if he was able to track me down!!!  THAT IS SCARY!!! 

So while the whole conversation was one of confusion and frustration a very good lesson came out of it.  Always check what you are discarding for personal information.  Tear it off and put it through the shredder.  This was a guy who was pissed off he had to clean up after the garbage truck but he could have been someone purposefully routing through looking for info to steal. 

For more writer's workshop stories check out Mama Kat at http://www.mamaslosinit.com/