Message Deleted

Coming home from errands this evening, there were two messages on the answering machine. Still wearing the sunglasses, I accidentally hit delete on the first, a message we'd been saving for months, hoping to either get a recording of it or to finally transcribe it.

It was from last November. A wonderful, inside-the-Beltway kind of moment. It was Barbara, from "Condi Rice's office" looking for General Haig. She left a number. M&D told us we should've called back to tell them it was wrong; when P&T were visiting, we actually did, but got some sort of recording about number couldn't be reached.

A prank, then.

But Barbara called back during the months I was at home. I spoke with her. She was a little dubious at first, but I assured her that the number was a residence, not Al Haig's office, and had been so for quite some time.

So, the other message on the machine? A hang-up. Telemarketers.