Strange Telephone Conversations

Do you ever have one of those telephone conversations where only one of you is talking and the other making an affirmative grunt? I'm sure if you've ever worked on an 0800 chatline you're probably used to it but it doesn't happen all that often in my line of work.

I did once phone a colleague late one Friday from out of the office and said "Can I ask you a quick question?" to which she replied "they're blue." What are ? Eyes? Curtains?

Anyway, just after lunch a client called in, unexpectedly it must be said, to see one of my colleagues, who as she wasn't expecting him, wasn't in. He dropped off some papers and as he was leaving asked "Do you know anything about redundancy pay?" I replied that I did, but, that as there had been changes to the rules about calculations last year, I'd need to check-up on the details and give him a ring. He told me the length of service, earnings but not his age and left.

Within half an hour I was on the phone, well it is Friday and I needed some intellectual stimulation other than the thought of Luis Boa Morte in a claret and blue shirt, and the conversation went like this.

"Mark, it's Paul."
"Hi"
"That employee you were talking about how old is he?"
"Erm"
"Fifty?"
"Erm."
"Lower?"
"Yes"
"Forty?"
"Erm."
"Higher?"
"Yes."
"Forty-five?"
"Not really."
(Not really?)
"Forty-nine?"
"Exactly."

I felt like Bruce Forsyth on Play Your Cards Right.

"Anyway the answer you're after is that the employee is entitled to just under £7,000."
"Oh right, well thanks for that."

Now I've known this client for about ten years and the only person who shares his office is one of his business partners sisters and I can guarantee if he had said forty-nine at the start of the conversation she wouldn't have had a scooby what he was on about. But if he had I wouldn't have had a post would I?

As an aside £6,960 for twenty nine years service to one employer doesn't seem like much does it?