Ah, caller ID, who might my caller be?

* Readers, yes, I know today is ADHD week, but my Wednesday ADHD blog is enough on its own to count for Monday AND Wednesday.  Trust me … and enjoy more lessons learned the hard way, below, courtesy of moi. *

Life Lesson in Business Travel #3,268

My phone rang as I pulled into the return line at Alamo Car Rental in Huntsville, Alabama.   I squinted at the caller ID on my iPhone.  I sort of recognized the number.  I knew better than to answer it right then, but sometimes I do inexplicable things, like answer the phone when I am returning a rental car and juggling iPhone, keys, handbag, suitcase, and laptop bag.

So I pressed  Accept.

The universe must have been channeling positive energy to me when I wavered between accept or decline, because I was rewarded with a client and some new business on the other end of the line.  The client engaged me for a raunchy sexual harassment investigation, on the spot.  I get these types of calls regularly, and I am paid to discuss words and topics that aren’t fit for Sunday School.   And, yes, I’m a lot of fun at a party!

Caught up in the moment — and excited to be able to stave off the bill collector for another few days — I lost track of my surroundings…until I looked up into the gaping mouth and wide eyes of the blushing Alamo attendant, who, bless his heart, was raised WAY better than that.

Oops.

I handed him the keys and left him standing there perplexed, as he struggled to make sense of a normal looking 40-something woman talking like that.  His Mama sure never talked that way!

Lesson learned: There is no safe place to do what I do, and certainly not the Alamo checkout line.  Hide and whisper when on the phone, Pamela!

p.s. I discovered at a young age that I can’t fix these awkward moments — as a college-age waiter I spilled a glass of water in a gentleman’s lap, then tried to wipe it up for him (yikes).  I just block out the trail of  hapless “Alamo attendants” left in my wake.

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