Diary of a Rec-to-Rec: Sorry, who are you again...?

Dear Diary.

Quite a few years ago, I had just come out of a coffee with a candidate when my phone rang. It was a withheld number. I did a quick brain inventory of all the people I was potentially avoiding, and who it might be, took a deep breath, and answered it...

To my surprise, the female voice on the end of the line was in tears, and clearly very upset.

Instantly, without introduction, she opened with "Hi Pete, I'm so sorry to call you like this, in this state, but I don't know who else to call. I'm just really, really upset with a few things that have happened at work today, and I've just got to tell somebody before my head explodes! Is that okay, Pete? Have you got five minutes to listen?"

"Of course", said I, without the foggiest clue who I was talking to.

I was just about to sensitively enquire as to the identity of my distraught caller, when she launched into a full descriptive of the nightmare morning she'd just had, at the hands of her "wanker" boss, who had overstepped the mark several times that morning, and had completely lost her respect, and had spoken to her and several of her collegaues like they were something on the bottom of his shoe.

I hoped that as she talked, that I'd be able to recognise her voice, but she was crying so much, it was impossible. She referenced a couple of names that might have been clues otherwise, but I couldn't make them out through the sobs.

I interejected with a delicate "Oh no, that's absolutely awful", and it was my absolute intention to follow that up with a very quick "Sorry, this sounds really bad, but who am I speaking to?" but she beat me to it, as she continued her tale of despair.

The story went on and on and on, and I simply couldn't get a word in edgeways. Nor could I decipher who the hell I was talking to.

After maybe ten minutes of listening, wish a screwed up face, phone glued to my ear, desperate to pick up on just one clue that might solve my mystery, she started to calm down.

"Thanks Pete" she said... "You've been amazing. That's exactly what I needed. Just somebody to listen. And just a bloody good rant. I feel better now. Much better. Thanks Pete!"

Clearly, at this point in the conversation, I was going to look like a completely heartless tool if I suddenly piped up with "Hey, no worries. Oh, by the way, I've got absolutely no idea who you are!!!"

So I continued the caring facade and said "Look, I know this is a tough time, but is there anything you want me to do? Is there anybody you want me to talk to about this? Can I help in any way?"

She replied "No, Pete, honestly, you've already done enough, just by listening. I'm sure it'll work itself out and if anything else happens, I'll give you a call..."

She hung up. And I never heard from her again. Well, I don't think I did...

I avoided witheld numbers for the next three years.

True story.

PS: If you're reading this now... SORRY!

PPS: Who are you?