I decided not to even sit down. Since I was only going to be there but a minute, I would just pull the letters from my in box that I needed to sign and sign them at Carolyn’s desk. I would put them in her out box and be on my way. I would call her back from the car once I thought she was off the phone and let her know what I was going to do.
Carolyn was replacing the receiver on the cradle when I reached her desk. I was about to speak, but the look on her face as she looked up at me left me speechless.
“My goodness, Carolyn, what is it?”
“That was your bank,” she said flatly. “They are calling your loan, your line of credit loan.”
It didn’t register.
“What loan? You don’t mean my credit line?”
“Yes, that’s what they’re talking about.” Carolyn shook her head in disbelief, and repeated. “This is insane.”
My plans to get away from the office flew out the window instantly. The old saying about ‘if it ain’t one thing it’s another’ entered my mind, but I didn’t panic. It was a mistake. It had to be. I was financially as solvent as a rock. There was no reason whatsoever for the bank to want to call my loan. That’s what I told Carolyn.
“It’s a mistake, Carolyn, don’t get upset. Let me call Delmar Cade. He’ll know what’s going on. Let’s let him get to the bottom of this.” Delmar was my personal banker.
Carolyn gave me a pained look. “That was Annette, Delmar’s secretary I just hung up from,” she said. “It was Delmar who had her call. They want it paid in full by close of business Friday.”
I marched back into my own office and closed the door softly. I was sure Carolyn had misunderstood in some way, but I didn’t want her to overhear my conversation when I called the bank to prove that to myself. I didn’t want her to feel I thought she didn’t know what she was talking about.
The fact I don’t think she does in this instance is irrelevant , I mumbled as I dialed.
Carolyn was surely right more often than wrong about most things, I valued her opinions, and I didn’t want to offend her. It was much easier to simply make this call behind a closed door.
“Good morning, Elsa,” I said when the bank’s receptionist answered. I knew just about everyone at Connect One Business Bank by first name and they always recognized my voice. Elsa, a petite young Hispanic girl, sat at the first desk just as you entered the bank, and she covered their switchboard. “May I speak to Delmar?”
“No, he’s unavailable.” Elsa responded a little too quickly, plus she didn’t acknowledge my greeting with one of her own. That was odd.
“Okay, then connect me to Annette, please?”
“She’s unavailable too.” Elsa sounded like she was talking to a stranger. There was no hint of familiarity in her voice, although she did sound uneasy.
“Elsa,” I laughed, sure we must have a poor connection. “this is Rowena Wilkes.”
“I know…”
My surprise showed in my voice, but I tried to make it light. “You know? Well, since when don’t you say hello…”
“They are not available, Ms. Wilkes.”
I continued, “And since when don’t you ask me if what I’m calling about is important so you can page either Delmar or Annette?”
Elsa didn’t respond at all. Her silence was distressing, but distress was quickly turning to anger. I felt like trying to reach into the phone and pull her through it by her neck. “Elsa?”
“Yes, I’m here, but that’s all I can tell you. They are not available.”
I heard the click of the phone on the other end and my mouth dropped open. Elsa had hung up on me. Elsa, the receptionist, who normally couldn’t stop giggling about her boyfriend Pedro on any other occasion, had hung up on me!
“What is going on with this?” I asked myself aloud.
I could feel my blood start to boil. I dialed back thinking that I’d ask for Arnold Bates, the bank’s President. I certainly was one of the bank’s best customers.
Carolyn was replacing the receiver on the cradle when I reached her desk. I was about to speak, but the look on her face as she looked up at me left me speechless.
“My goodness, Carolyn, what is it?”
“That was your bank,” she said flatly. “They are calling your loan, your line of credit loan.”
It didn’t register.
“What loan? You don’t mean my credit line?”
“Yes, that’s what they’re talking about.” Carolyn shook her head in disbelief, and repeated. “This is insane.”
My plans to get away from the office flew out the window instantly. The old saying about ‘if it ain’t one thing it’s another’ entered my mind, but I didn’t panic. It was a mistake. It had to be. I was financially as solvent as a rock. There was no reason whatsoever for the bank to want to call my loan. That’s what I told Carolyn.
“It’s a mistake, Carolyn, don’t get upset. Let me call Delmar Cade. He’ll know what’s going on. Let’s let him get to the bottom of this.” Delmar was my personal banker.
Carolyn gave me a pained look. “That was Annette, Delmar’s secretary I just hung up from,” she said. “It was Delmar who had her call. They want it paid in full by close of business Friday.”
I marched back into my own office and closed the door softly. I was sure Carolyn had misunderstood in some way, but I didn’t want her to overhear my conversation when I called the bank to prove that to myself. I didn’t want her to feel I thought she didn’t know what she was talking about.
The fact I don’t think she does in this instance is irrelevant , I mumbled as I dialed.
Carolyn was surely right more often than wrong about most things, I valued her opinions, and I didn’t want to offend her. It was much easier to simply make this call behind a closed door.
“Good morning, Elsa,” I said when the bank’s receptionist answered. I knew just about everyone at Connect One Business Bank by first name and they always recognized my voice. Elsa, a petite young Hispanic girl, sat at the first desk just as you entered the bank, and she covered their switchboard. “May I speak to Delmar?”
“No, he’s unavailable.” Elsa responded a little too quickly, plus she didn’t acknowledge my greeting with one of her own. That was odd.
“Okay, then connect me to Annette, please?”
“She’s unavailable too.” Elsa sounded like she was talking to a stranger. There was no hint of familiarity in her voice, although she did sound uneasy.
“Elsa,” I laughed, sure we must have a poor connection. “this is Rowena Wilkes.”
“I know…”
My surprise showed in my voice, but I tried to make it light. “You know? Well, since when don’t you say hello…”
“They are not available, Ms. Wilkes.”
I continued, “And since when don’t you ask me if what I’m calling about is important so you can page either Delmar or Annette?”
Elsa didn’t respond at all. Her silence was distressing, but distress was quickly turning to anger. I felt like trying to reach into the phone and pull her through it by her neck. “Elsa?”
“Yes, I’m here, but that’s all I can tell you. They are not available.”
I heard the click of the phone on the other end and my mouth dropped open. Elsa had hung up on me. Elsa, the receptionist, who normally couldn’t stop giggling about her boyfriend Pedro on any other occasion, had hung up on me!
“What is going on with this?” I asked myself aloud.
I could feel my blood start to boil. I dialed back thinking that I’d ask for Arnold Bates, the bank’s President. I certainly was one of the bank’s best customers.
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