In the ’80s, my boyfriend and I had a weekly 8 PM call, until one night I missed it. My mom, closest to the phone, answered instead. I heard her cheerful “Hello?” followed by an eruption of anger.
Apparently, my boyfriend, thinking he was speaking to me, had been flirting with her! She was furious, and I was mortified. When he finally called to apologize, my mom milked it for weeks, answering with, “Is it the charming Romeo again?” I’ll never live that down.
