A scare

I just received a phone call at work that started like this:

Heather: “This is Heather.”
Caller: “Hi Heather, how are you?”
Heather: “Fine… how are you?”
Caller: “Fine. Well Heather, this is Dave from the Washington State Patrol…”

The Washington State Patrol? The first thing that popped in my head was that someone was in an accident or something. What would you think? I could feel my heart rate rise as I thought, ok Heather, he hasn’t said anything to you yet so just keep calm! But then I thought, well, if someone was taken to the hospital, surely the hospital would call me? Maybe they’re still at the scene or something? This is awful! This is the phone call that you always hope will happen to someone else!

Caller: “Heather, I’m not sure if you’re aware of the financial difficulties facing Washington law enforcement right now, but I wanted to know if I could count on you and your company to join the fight against meth and the horror it is causing Washington teenagers.”

Back up Mr. Dave. I’m still on the Washington State Patrol part. Once I figured out that he was only asking for a donation and a loved one had not died, I lost no time in transferring him to someone who is actually in a position to donate. I considered telling him that it just wasn’t right for him to start a conversation like that, especially with a voice as deep as his, but I refrained. After I hung up, I had to take a moment to recompose myself. It’s weird how your body responds so quickly to stress, even though there was nothing to be worried about at all. This is obviously an excellent excuse to go get a massage.