A text came through on my phone
telling me that my car was coming
to the end of its parking time and
did I want to extend the time it
was parked?
Yes, I thought, I do? I would really
like that.
There was a number and I called.
The recorded message asked me
the reg number of my car and I
tapped that in. The message then
asked me to tap in how many hours
I would like to add on. I tapped in 4.
The message said that this was an
invalid number. So I tapped in 6.
The message said that this was an
invalid number. So I tapped in 2 and
the message said, ‘The call is ended.’
I thought that’s a pity, I was just getting
to enjoy it. I found that I was strangely
attracted to the efficient but urgent tone
of the woman talking to me. I liked the
way that she seemed to be so good
at getting things done. And now this.
Out of the blue: the call is ended. I
wondered if it was something about
the way I tapped the keys. Was I a
bit clumsy? I know that I had just eaten
a sandwich and maybe she had picked
up the whiff of mayonnaise on one
of the numbers. And it wasn’t as if
it was me who had been in touch
in the first place. I figured that she
must sit there all day, day after day,
texting people telling them that they
can extend their hours and then snubbing
them with that ‘The call is ended’ thing.
Maybe that’s what she’s into. She likes
saying, 'The call is ended.'
