Late-Night Phone Calls

There is one thing in life that always makes my heart hammer like it's going out of fashion, and that's a phone call in the dead of night. Even as a kid, I learned that a phone ringing at night invariably meant there was someone with bad news on the othe end of the line.

I can vividly remember laying in bed as a kid, and being woken by the phone ringing, followed by sleepy voices, followed by crying in my mums room. Old relatives being sick and passing away in the night. This happened several times while I was growing up, and not once did a late-night phone call bring good news.

Even when I struck out into the world on my own, the phone ringing late at night usually meant something bad was happening somewhere. I recall getting a phone call at 11pm one night, first from Gemma sounding very very strange (Yes, even stranger than usual!), crying and sobbing about being followed through London, then the line going dead, only to be called back by the Police, who had found her collapsed on a train platform, then woke up disorientated, getting all fighty, and puking on them.. THAT was a panic-filled journey to London in the dead of night.

Even as a proper grown up, when Bethy was in hospital, getting the phone ringing in the Ronald McDonald House room, to be told by a nurse or a doctor that something was wrong...

So, imagine my surprise last night for my mobile to blast me awake. For a moment, I thought it might have been Kellie - I'm always telling her, "if you have a bad dream or can't sleep, just call me" but the number was a London number that I didn't recognise. My heart was in my throat when I answered it, and I could hear someone there, but it went dead. Muttering, I rolled over, and a few minutes later, it went off again. Same story, no one talking but I could hear someone there.

And that was it, 3.15 in the morning, and no more ringing phone.

Do you think I could get back to sleep? I was knackered anyway, but sleep evaded me, so I flopped on the sofa, watching the fish tank, and then when I started to doze, Jaysen got up. It was seven o' clock.

Now, I am willing to accept that it might have been someone trying to call someone with a similar number, but at least have the courtesy to apologise and say something. If it was a crank caller, and if I get late night calls again, I'm going to report it, but for today, I'm tired and unfocused, but keeping busy.

The kids are being collected this evening, and tomorrow morning they're off with Jo and Co for their holiday - which means I'm not going to see them for ten whole days... So once they're collected, me and Sally are off to Canvey to loiter around my girlies house ;)

Assuming I can stay awake, that is!