Monday, January 28, 2008

Phone call

My daughter was ill a couple of weeks ago. She’s better now, thank goodness.

Anyways, as is the custom, a few people called to find out how she was doing and all. The call that stands out the most in my mind is one that I received from a colleague.

Brief history on colleague: She has a 6-month old son. She travelled abroad(maybe for the first time) shortly after she had her boy. She is a pleasant and really engaging girl. However, her conversation topics always somehow find their way back to her miraculous delivery, her son and her trip abroad. It’s okay when you first meet her, but gets really tiring in short bit. I no longer ask after her son, because I do not want to get 2 minute responses that do not have any bearing on his real welfare.


Here’s a typical scenario: How is Dipo? Normal person will respond: He is well/ He is feeling a bit down.

Her? Nooooooo! A typical answer would be: “He was awake when I left o! He was standing on his bed and cooing at me while I got dressed. I kept playing with him as I got dressed and when I finally had to leave, he looked so sad. I am going to miss him! You know these children are wonderful. They really do know who their mothers are and there is an instant bond.”
On a day when she is feeling extra chatty, she will mention the fact that he has heat rashes as a result of the lack of electricity to power the fans. And how if they were abroad this would not be the case. Then she would remind you that she is planning to travel soon. Once, I asked when exactly she was planning on travelling. "December", she replied. That is soon? Okay o!


Anyway, the phone call went this way:

Me: Hello?
CO: This is CO.
Me: Oh, hi CO!
CO: How is your baby? Heard she was ill. And thought that I should all to find out how she’s doing.
Me: Oh, she’s a lot better now. Thank you.
CO: That’s good. Remember those rashes I told you that Dipo has?
Me: Yes.
CO: Some more have popped up around other parts of his body.
Me: Really? Have you completed his antibiotics dose? (Naturally, she keeps me abreast of her son’s medical history).
CO: Yes o! Maybe that is what is causing all the rashes to come out. The drug may be working that way.
Me: It is a possibility.
CO: If it is not rashes today, it is fever tomorrow. I am just really lucky that he is such a strong boy…………

She went on for maybe another minute. I cannot say I remember all she said, but she did not ever go back to the subject at hand which was supposed to be my daughter. After talking about her son for a bit, she then ended a call without mentioning my daughter again.

A most amusing condolence call.

28 comments:

  1. Lol,Some people are just so into themselves. but wouldnt you rather hear about her son than her husband? those ones who start and end every sentence with 'my husband' just drive me crazy.

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  2. You feel me!

    The one that really gets my goat is starting every single sentence with "My pastor said..."

    I have no quarrel as to the importance (spiritual and otherwise) of a pastor but please think for yourself too.

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  3. lol thats just funny. she sounds a bit wack too

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  4. Well, when someone wants to talk about something, all they need is a very little push and you set them off...

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  5. Meanwhile, have you done that which you were supposed to do for me?

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  6. Awwwwwwwww...LOL...Is this her first child? She sounds really self involved....

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  7. hahahahaha! people sometimes dont know when they do this but its so horrible! sometimes its injecting tales of your boyfie or hubby or it could be your kid or the last trip abroad but I feel you! LOL...really self absorbed!

    meanwhile hope your cutie is doing much better?

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  8. She sounds just like a cousin of mine, who's living with my dad. Whenever i call and she picks up the fone, i always dread it. Cos u ask one simple and short question, she gives u 100 answers. By the time, she reaches the 5th answer, i'm already on the 'switch off mode', i'll just be responding 'yes, yes, uhn, en, yes' until i just wanna hang up. It's really sad dat a lot of women don't know how to talk in moderation.

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  9. That is so me. I called to find out how a friend who'd recently been sick was doing and she asked after my son. Big mistake. Maybe your friend doesn't realize what she's doing. I have to remind myself that people are merely being polite and keep my answers short and sweet. Glad your daughter's feeling better!

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  10. @ Geisha: I often wonder if she can't hear herself speaking.

    @ Azuka: I am going to your blog now. Hope you are back?

    @ FTL: Against all financial sense, I am going to call you.

    @ Uzo: It is, but then I only have one too.

    @ Nyemoni: She's fine now! Thank goodness. For some time there it was touch and go. In fact, I had to take her temperature several times at night. It hit up to 40 degrees. I was truly alarmed. But after just 2 days of treatment, she was running around like nothing had happened. (Don't mind me...just trying out my hand at giving verbose answers, LOL).

    @ wienna: Eh yah! You should call your dad direct on his mobile phone. Cut away the middle (wo)man.

    @ Gbemi's Piece: LOL! Thanks for your candor. Good to hear from the other side.

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  11. men..some people are just self centered

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  12. hahhahahahhahah.. i actually like such people because they are too involved in their own lifes to gossip about ppl...

    Hope ur baby is fine now...u lot (solomondele, isi and Nyemoni)make me want to have a baby....

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  13. lol...narcissist people can be so boring to listen to...hope your daughter is feeling better...

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  15. lol,.,shes an irritant, i know she doesnt mean it, but itll just get me really pissed off


    hpe your girl is feeling fine nw...

    nice blog

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  16. There was one Madame I worked with. OMG all she says is imagine ooo *** just called she asked if she could take the big meat, &&&& just called he wanted to know if he could drink Milo, ^^^^ just called he said the A/C is too cold.
    ++++ came to my room today and tried my bra on , @@@@ said she wants to travel to America OMG and she says all these in front of another colleague who has no child. Insensitivity at its peak or what should I call that .
    I just asked another colleague of mine if she knew she doesn’t say a sentence without saying Mr husband this My husband that , she just got married though but plsssss !!!

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  17. sometimes, we get way into ourselves and don't genuinely pay attention to others.

    I am glad that your child i feeling better.

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  18. Pele about your daughter o. Glad to hear she's better now. And the child-centred friend, I agree with Solo that we definitely get into ourselves a bit too much sometimes. SOme people more so than others, as it seems.

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  19. lol...sorry for laffing but ur friend..nawa o,...some people are so into themselves..it can be really irritating!

    good to hear ur daughter is much better...ta ta!

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  20. Annoying yes, but see the important thing, SHE called you to ask about your daughter. Her conversation/listening skills are poor but in this instance, she reached out to you. Give her a cookie point for effort.

    And give the little girl a cookie for getting better:-)

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  21. Glad to hear your duaghter is much better now...might be the weather?

    Lol...tell me about it! Why won't some women ever kleep quiet about their kids? Don't they know they bore us?

    I am chatting with a friend on IM, tell her some stuff about myself to which she does not respond, the difference btw us, i don't have a kid yet, she's got one... i make the mistake to ask about her almost 2 month old daughter and the sory becomes unending...she even calls me in the middle of the chat to hear her daughter chatting...lmao!

    I am humouring her, and just giving polite remarks, when she's said enough, she keeps quiet and stops talking to me, whatever happened to finding out what's going on with me??? Wish i could have told her to shut up really

    I thought it might be cos i have no kid yet but now that i hear it from someone with a daughter, i am not feeling unkind anymore...lol

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  22. Haha, there's a girl in my office just like that. Anything you say, she finds a way to make it about her.......her record is 30 seconds...

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  23. Loll- pele having to sit throught that. Glad your daughter is doing much better. What was wrong with her?

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  24. Just saw your 'Overwhelmed' comment today, it had been lying in my comment moderation box, unmoderated along with many others, because yahoo didn't inform me.

    Everyone knows at least one person like your friend :D

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  25. Lol, but sometimes it happens to me i just go on and on and the check............. trust me shes just overwhelmed...........

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  26. When are u updating, miss?

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  27. Im glad that your daughter is feeling much better. How have you been?

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