I had quite an experience this last week. We get telephone calls from a neighborhood but nationally operated drug store reminding us about need to order or pickup prescriptions. Lyn and I both have a few of these.

When you answer one of these calls, you do not begin speaking to a live human being. It is always the same voice and around our house, he is known as Callaway Vincent Sagen.

On this occasion, he asked if he was speaking to me and told me if he was that I should press the number 1. I followed his instructions. He then issued me a second instruction. I complied quickly. I was pleased that things were going so smoothly.

At this point, he asked for my birthdate. I was instructed to answer with two-digit month and day numbers. I answered,” o eight, o five”.

Callaway responded that he didn’t understand me and asked me to repeat my birthday using two numbers for both month and day. I answered exactly as I had before. He didn’t like that again and began issuing more complicated instructions.

I took that opportunity to thank him for the calls and explained that I would personally visit the drug store and inquire about his call. I’m guessing that I didn’t make that visit quickly enough because I received a second call from Mr. Sagen that turned out with the same result before my visit.

I explained to the young female pharmacist at the counter about receiving a couple of phone calls from their special employee. We laughed as I explained my difficulties. She checked my records and discovered that I did have a prescription that could be refilled. Lyn had also asked me to check on a refill for her also. I was soon told that both prescriptions would be available for pickup in about 30 minutes.

I scampered out of the store and completed a couple of other errands. When I returned, about 45 minutes later, my prescription was ready, but Lyn’s would be ready in less than 15 minutes. I stayed in the store and waited.

As I was walking around, I heard our good friend, Callaway announce over their public address system that the pharmacy had a telephone call holding on line one. He successfully repeated that several times. After a few minutes, the pharmacist called me back to the counter and explained that our insurance company wouldn’t accept and pay for her prescription for another month or so.

As I was driving home, I started thinking about Calloway again and was trying to figure out why he couldn’t understand me when I was answering his question about my birthday. I figured it out. I should have said “zero eight zero five” when asked for my birthday.

Well, the following day, Callaway phoned me again.  When he gave me my instruction to use two numbers for both the month and day of my birthday, I answered, “zero eight, zero five”. He once again said he didn’t understand my response and ask for it again. Same results! I quickly disconnected.

The very next evening, after I had considered my conversations with Calloway many times, it came into my thoughts that he was asking me to peck those numbers onto the telephone keyboard and not say them out loud to him.
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I’m planning a very heartfelt apology for him the very next time he telephones me.

60 Years Ago This Week - 1959
A 78-inch aluminum Christmas tree with 70 gleaming branches was on sale for $14.98 at G.C. Murphy in Fountain Square, where a revolving tree lamp cost $12.98. 
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The Heritage Cafeteria, 3325 Madison Ave., boasted that all of its entrees were served piping hot.  

50 Years Ago This Week - 1969
Homecoming queen candidates at Wood High School were Edwina Alexander, Peggy Carlin, Sue Falls, Charlotte Perkins, Vivian Reynolds and Linda Holman. 
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Jim Robisch was elected president of Cathedral’s freshman class.
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A 1963 four-door Monza was advertised for $150.

40 Years Ago This Week - 1979
Kevin Smith, son of Mr. and Mrs. James Smith and a freshman at Perry Meridian, earned the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest honor attainable in Boy Scouts.
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Cranky Franks, a tavern and restaurant, celebrated its grand opening at 2179 Bluff Road, where a mug of beer cost 35 cents. The entertainment included The Hay Stacks band and its disco light show.

30 Years Ago This Week - 1989
G.H. Herrmann Funeral Home opened its Greenwood facility at 1605 S. State Road 135.
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Chris DiGuisto, a sixth-grader at St. Mark School, was cast in Butler University’s production of “The Nutcracker.” 
* * *
A birthday greeting was published for Diana Irvin, who was turning 40.

Many years ago, I shared a large office in Beech Grove with Walter and Peggy Hart. I operated a small industrial supply sales business and they owned a company that made and sold advertising specialties.

One day, Peggy was describing Walter’s vegetable garden. She explained how proud he was of it and how he would spend time explaining to her how the plants were maturing and bearing fruit.

She told me how he had pointed out a tomato plant that was a volunteer. He explained that it had started from a seed but would never bear fruit. We laughed and wondered why he would even consider tending to a sterile plant.

A few days later, I was visiting a wonderful fruit and vegetable garden that is located inside the local Kroger store at Madison and Edgewood avenues. While strolling through the cool garden, I spotted some tomatoes that were still attached to the end of their vines. There were three or four tomatoes in each vine.

I purchased a couple of the interesting clusters and drove to Walter and Peggy’s house. As I figured, they were still at the office. I found the volunteer plant that Walter had been describing in his garden.I very carefully slipped one of the clusters between the plant leaves. It looked very realistic, so I later telephoned Peggy to inform her as to what I had done.

As I walked into our office the following morning, Peggy welcomed me by saying, “You son of a *#%&h!” I recovered from the stern salutation but wondered why.

She told me that when she had arrived home the previous evening, Walter was sitting outside at a table with a plate in front of him. He told her that the volunteer plant was indeed producing fruit and he was “eating one of the best damned tomatoes I have ever tasted.”

We laughed as she explained how difficult it was to keep a straight face, especially when he was expounding on the quality of his “homegrown” tomato.

Afterward I was on an out-of-town trip. Upon my return, I decided to purchase another tomato cluster and try my trick again. With my purchase in hand, I returned to the scene of the crime. But the plant in Walter’s garden had turned colorful.

Walter found out he had been fooled earlier and acted of his own. He decorated his plant with several small plastic fruits and vegetables – a corn-on-a-cob, a banana, an orange, an apple and more.

I flopped down and started laughing because I knew that Walter had evened things up. He got me good.

Suddenly, I heard someone clear his throat a couple of times. I finally saw a telephone repairman at the top of a utility pole near Walter’s garden. He had seen me and heard my uncontrollable laughter.
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After we saw each other, he climbed down and I told him the entire story.

Walter and Peggy Hart passed away a few years ago, leaving many special stories to remember them.