Truckin'
04-27-2008, 10:13 PM
This opportunity to meet was accomplished despite many complications. It almost didn't happen.
Webwader contacted me a few weeks ago to say his route home from celebrating his dad's 100th birthday (WOW!) would bring him through Ogden and he wanted to meet us. Since he was driving, he could only guess that he'd be here Thursday in the mid-afternoon. I see people in one hour appointments so I went ahead and scheduled myself free after 2 PM. That would have worked well for Harold too as he gets off about that time.
Wed. night I answered the phone. Caller ID said it was a Days Inn. I wasn't thinking about Webby and feared it was a solicitor, so when a man asked for me, I said I wasn't home. Thankfully he spoke up and told me to tell me Tom had called. At that point I confessed to my rude ploy and we had a brief conversation.
Webby told me that they made much better time than they anticipated and they would be in Ogden about 11 AM. I bemoaned the fact that it wasn't going to work out for us to meet after all. My first appointment is at 10. He said they'd be coming through again so we'd try next time. I told him to call when he got to town in the event that I had someone stand me up and we got off the phone.
It was not until morning that my brain kicked in and I realized they would be coming down Weber Canyon from Evanston and I could have them swing by my office. I got on my computer and to my dismay discovered that I'd given him my phone numbers, but I had none for him. I brushed off that idea and headed for the office.
Ten o'clock arrived but my client did not. I'd just told my office partner that I was unhappy to be stood up when I had out of town folks coming through, but that I had no way to contact them anyway. About ten minutes after the hour I got a phone call. As soon as I heard it was a recorded message (I HATE solicitors!) I hung up. The instant I hung up I got a bell indicating I'd missed a call. I listened to it and found out it was Webby. He and Gayle had arrived at Jeremiah's for breakfast and he assumed I was in my session so he said we'd try next time.
I erased the message and then was distressed to find no call back number on my phone! I talked to my office partner again, boo hooing the irony of my bad luck to have a solicitation call knock out my ability to take the call from Tom. Michele told me I ought to just go to Jeremiah's.
Jeremiah's is across town and I had an 11 AM appointment. I hurriedly called her to confirm that she was coming. She was running late so she was just fine with me dashing off on my errand and she'd come when I called her saying I was on the way back to my office.
It seemed every light was red and it took an awfully long time to negotiate traffic. I was just about to turn into the Jeremiah's parking lot when I got a phone call from Michele telling me my 10 AM appointment had just shown up -- about half an hour late! (This is the part I forgot to explain to Tom and Gayle) I told Michele to make apologies for me and that I'd call the client back to reschedule.
I drove through Jeremiah's parking lot and was perplexed to find NO Ridgeline there. It occurred to me that they might have driven another vehicle (high gas prices) and after my mad dash across town there was no way I was just going to drive back to the office. I worried about recognizing him and thought about making a sign to carry around to identify myself. I went in and walked through and pretty much zeroed right in on him. He stared back at me while I studied his face so I said "Tom?" and he acknowledged me.
We had a very short visit. I talked quickly. We covered the essentials as they finished their meal. We made a pledge to have a better meeting next time.
It was great to put names and faces together with someone I've considered a friend for the last couple of years. Next time you're in Ogden, Tom and Gayle, we'll do it right!
Webwader contacted me a few weeks ago to say his route home from celebrating his dad's 100th birthday (WOW!) would bring him through Ogden and he wanted to meet us. Since he was driving, he could only guess that he'd be here Thursday in the mid-afternoon. I see people in one hour appointments so I went ahead and scheduled myself free after 2 PM. That would have worked well for Harold too as he gets off about that time.
Wed. night I answered the phone. Caller ID said it was a Days Inn. I wasn't thinking about Webby and feared it was a solicitor, so when a man asked for me, I said I wasn't home. Thankfully he spoke up and told me to tell me Tom had called. At that point I confessed to my rude ploy and we had a brief conversation.
Webby told me that they made much better time than they anticipated and they would be in Ogden about 11 AM. I bemoaned the fact that it wasn't going to work out for us to meet after all. My first appointment is at 10. He said they'd be coming through again so we'd try next time. I told him to call when he got to town in the event that I had someone stand me up and we got off the phone.
It was not until morning that my brain kicked in and I realized they would be coming down Weber Canyon from Evanston and I could have them swing by my office. I got on my computer and to my dismay discovered that I'd given him my phone numbers, but I had none for him. I brushed off that idea and headed for the office.
Ten o'clock arrived but my client did not. I'd just told my office partner that I was unhappy to be stood up when I had out of town folks coming through, but that I had no way to contact them anyway. About ten minutes after the hour I got a phone call. As soon as I heard it was a recorded message (I HATE solicitors!) I hung up. The instant I hung up I got a bell indicating I'd missed a call. I listened to it and found out it was Webby. He and Gayle had arrived at Jeremiah's for breakfast and he assumed I was in my session so he said we'd try next time.
I erased the message and then was distressed to find no call back number on my phone! I talked to my office partner again, boo hooing the irony of my bad luck to have a solicitation call knock out my ability to take the call from Tom. Michele told me I ought to just go to Jeremiah's.
Jeremiah's is across town and I had an 11 AM appointment. I hurriedly called her to confirm that she was coming. She was running late so she was just fine with me dashing off on my errand and she'd come when I called her saying I was on the way back to my office.
It seemed every light was red and it took an awfully long time to negotiate traffic. I was just about to turn into the Jeremiah's parking lot when I got a phone call from Michele telling me my 10 AM appointment had just shown up -- about half an hour late! (This is the part I forgot to explain to Tom and Gayle) I told Michele to make apologies for me and that I'd call the client back to reschedule.
I drove through Jeremiah's parking lot and was perplexed to find NO Ridgeline there. It occurred to me that they might have driven another vehicle (high gas prices) and after my mad dash across town there was no way I was just going to drive back to the office. I worried about recognizing him and thought about making a sign to carry around to identify myself. I went in and walked through and pretty much zeroed right in on him. He stared back at me while I studied his face so I said "Tom?" and he acknowledged me.
We had a very short visit. I talked quickly. We covered the essentials as they finished their meal. We made a pledge to have a better meeting next time.
It was great to put names and faces together with someone I've considered a friend for the last couple of years. Next time you're in Ogden, Tom and Gayle, we'll do it right!