Why Answer His Call, When I Am Angry?

The Story of Bob, the Phone Addict.

It’s 9 o’clock pm on Monday and Bob hasn’t returned home. He usually gets home by 5pm on every day after work and he has never gone beyond this time.

But on this fateful Monday morning everything changed. Bob loved his family but he was addicted to his Phone, and he’ll never leave it anywhere not even when he goes to use the bathroom. He is either chatting or browsing, or checking the stocks almost anytime and anywhere in the house.

Several complains from Mrs Bob about his phone habit did not yield any result. Gradually she begun to have suspicion about Bob and his phone habits. What could be keeping him so busy on his Phone always?

They say ‘curiosity killed the cat’, whatever this means, that was the best way Mrs Bob could satisfy herself. She needed to be sure and satisfy her curiousity. Were they just normal chats and business as usual that keeps Bob busy on his phone always, or was it something else?

The good book says ”And a man shall leave his mother and father, and cling to his wife. And the two shall be one”. Literally meaning, ‘nothing is worth taking our attention’, especially in marriage. This was the sermon at church on this Sunday morning. As the pastor preached with illustrations, he seemed to have prepared this message with Bob in mind . How joyful the heart of Mrs Bob was, as she sat nodding at every phrase, her eyes were almost literally glued to Bob next to her.

Bob on the other hand was just busy doing his own thing with his phone even in church and he seemed to ‘be in the same place with her, but not in the same space’.

He was a loving father, he made all the money and provided the needs of his family. Their three kids, Jesse, Lancelot and Jenny, attended the best school in the city. From afar this was a very beautiful family and they were loved in their community.

The phone rang, and Bob for the first time was fast asleep. After ringing for awhile Mrs Bob picks up the phone and a message just pops up. “hi Bob, I haven’t heard from you this morning. Miss you and wanted us to chat for awhile”. Christy…

Christy, who could she be? Could she be the reason Bob has been so attached to his phone always? These questions kept lingering on the mind of Mrs Bob. What’s Bob’s defense? The quarrel about who ‘Christy’ was, started so early that fateful Monday morning and for the first time even the neighbors heard loud voices coming from the Bob’s residence.

No defense was enough to quench the fire that has been lit by this message. The quarrel dragged and dragged until Bob grabbed his car keys and moved the car out of the house to to work.

It’s 4 o’clock pm and Bob’s phone starts calling Mrs Bob, but her anger had gotten the greater part of her, so she won’t answer. The phone kept ringing, and ringing, and ringing… no response. At 4.30 pm and Mrs Bob’s phone started ringing again but still she’ll not answer.

9 o’clock pm and Bob has not returned home. Now confused, she starts calling Bob’s phone which rang for awhile but no answer and eventually switched off. Where could he be? As she kept asking herself this question, her phone rang. The call this time was from the hospital in the city. Bob had gotten involved in an accident on his way home and unfortunately has passed on. Aparently he was typing and texting whiles driving.. his last text message was to Mrs Bob. ”Dear, I wanted to say am sorry for my actions, and promise it wont happen again. But you never answered. I’m sorry”. This was the reason for Bob’s call, but he missed the opportunity.

She inquired what time this happened and she was told around 4 o’clock pm. Wow, that was when Bob starting calling her. It was too late for her to hear the last words of Bob, her beloved friend, husband, father and life partner.

Bob never got it right with his Phone habits, but maybe he could have asked for forgiveness and apologized at the last minute before his home call, but it never happened. Was the Phone so important to Bob? and Was anger the best reason not to answer a call from a loved one on Mrs Bob’s part?

For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind. Ralph Waldo Emerson.