The waiting game
Imagine this: A girl eagerly waits, sitting by her telephone, two hours, 15 minutes and 37 seconds after first calling and being told “Hey, can I call you back in five minutes?” She ponders on why the person is taking so long to call back.
Did something really important pop up right as soon as the person was going to dial the number? Was it something I said? Was it something I didn’t say? Maybe they just forgot me? she wonders.
I mean it is entirely possible, the girl thinks to herself, I am pretty forgettable.
It wasn’t like she hadn’t called the person back after 15 minutes of waiting.
She did.
Then she called back 15 minutes after that, 10 minutes after that and then seven minutes after that. She then began calling in seven minute intervals.
“Hi, you have reached …” CLICK!
Don’t want to appear too desperate…
Seven minutes later: “Hi, it’s me, again. I just wanted to see if you were in and if you got my messages. I really need to talk to you. Please, call my back.”
The eight messages were some variation of that.
Still, after numerous phone messages, no answer and no call-back.
Get the hint, girl, they don’t want to call you back!
The girl shakes her head and takes these no responses as a challenge.
What is wrong with you?! Are you desperate?! you must be wondering to yourself about this girl.
Why yes, yes, she is.
All journalists are desperate whenever a source does not call back after promising to do so. While this may be an extreme, many really wish they could just constantly hit the redial over and over and over again.
Like a grade-school girl eagerly waits for a boy she likes to call her on the phone (or, I guess, text her), journalists jump out of their skin whenever their phone rings and they see it is an elusive source they have been trying so desperately to talk to for three days (an eternity for anyone in the news industry).
Why am I blogging about this today? Because, I am that girl.
Instead of sitting on my bed, staring at my cell phone, hoping and praying that I’ll get a call from that special guy, I’m sitting at my desk, staring at my office phone, hoping and praying for that red light to light up!
I hate the waiting game.
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Still waiting? Or did your desperation turn into results?