A Funny Work Story

Working midnights affords me quite a bit of anonymity when it comes to other employees of our city. I think I know, or have at least met, one or two of our volunteer firefighters. Other than that... I don't have a clue as to who anybody is over there... nor they, me.

Waaaay back in the olden days when I first started dispatching and things were still new and hopeful in the world because I was young and still somewhat innocent from the vile ways of the people, I would occasionally get a call on what we call our inner cities radio channel. This is/was an open channel that other agencies used to call other agencies while they were in the field... you know... back before cell phones and all. We used it frequently back then. There was a period of time, after I had been here just a year or so, where I was getting requests for time checks, being asked if anything was going on in our city, other small silly things. These were not requests from my officers, but from other agency's officers out in their cars, usually during the 2 to 4am time frame. It wasn't until one of them came to our department, out of sheer curiosity as to what I looked like, that he told me that all these radio requests started after some incident where I had to use this radio frequency for some reason or another related to real work. He told me that they loved hearing my voice and would, on occasion, just want to hear it. He told me it was a nice voice.

I learned over the years many other discriptions of my "nice voice". Let me just say, I could have had a nice career in radio, or a phone sex worker. Or so I've been told.

So tonight I get in to work after having a very quiet two days off. I sit down, grab a pen and a notepad and basically get ready for what the night will bring. One of my officers runs a license plate. I give him his return via radio. The direct line to our fire department rings. I answer it.
Me: "Hello"
Him: "Who's dispatching tonight?"
Me: "Me."
Him: "Who is this?"
Me: "Who is THIS?"
Him: (he tells me his name which escapes me now)
Me: "This is Laura"
Him: "Okay. Thanks." 'click'

I don't think much about the call. They do that from time to time. Again, being midnights I have about as much of a clue who he is as he does about me.

I seriously don't think it was even 10 minutes before my front door was buzzing. I look in the camera and don't recognize the guy. I get on my speaker and ask if I can help them. He tells me he's so-and-so from the fire department. I let him in.
He said that so-and-so next door was studying (have you caught on that I have totally failed to remember anyone's name, yet?) and that he was going to watch a movie and didn't want to disturb study guy so he came over to the PD to give him some peace. I think my reply was, "cool".

He asked me where the cops were and I told him they were all on a call. He walks into dispatch and sets two bottles of ice cold water on the counter and tells me, "I brought these over 'cause I didn't know if ya'll had any water over here." I tell him thanks, and that no we usually don't stock up on water, but I usually bring my own. Then he proceeds to make a quick exit and tells me he guesses he's given what's-his-name enough time to study. I don't think the kid (maybe mid 20's) was in here a total of 2 complete minutes and that's being generous.

If not for his quick exit, I don't think I would have even suspected anything. I've had several of the fire guys over the years come over and sit and talk with me. But this was obviously, hilariously, a case of coming over to check me out, not expecting the old, gray, fat lady he saw when he walked in, and making a hasty, yet polite, departure.

I would have loved to have heard what he told the one "studying" when he got back over there. I think I giggled to myself the rest of the night about that.

Good to know at least my voice still has it!