When Linda isn't Linda

Having two whole weeks between each date seemed insufferably long while LV and I were courting. To help the time a little we somehow convinced my brother John to act as our letter delivery, and exchanged long letters on the Sundays we weren't allowed to have a date.

We continued that until we got married.

Later on, we discovered another way to keep in contact a little more.

Every weekday someone had to sit in our phone shanty from 1:00-1:30 to wait on any phone calls from customers. Most days it was my job to sit there waiting for any calls. Most days, no one called.

We decided it would be great to be able to talk for a few minutes when ever he had the chance to get to their phone during that time. And just in case someone else answered the phone, instead of me we decided he would always ask for Linda. That way anyone else would think it's a wrong number.

It worked splendidly until one day when the phone rang and I answered. "Is this Linda?" the voice on the other end asked.

"Yes," I answered, thrilled at the prospect of spending the remaining time talking with LV.

"What have you been doing?" the voice asked.

"I was sitting here writing your letter for Sunday," I answered.

"Really," chuckles.  "What are you writing about?"

Red flags .... major red flags!! LV's chuckle never sounded like that before. And he would never ask what I was writing. He would have said something more along the lines of how he couldn't wait to read it.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"It's me," the voice said. "Can't you tell?"

I was still uneasy, and asked for his name.

Ack ....... it was LV's best friend/cousin in whom he had confided our little system.

He thought the whole thing was much funnier than I did. To this day when ever we see each other he asks if I've been writing any more letters.

I'm no longer embarrassed by it, but I still don't find it all that funny.