Communication Failure…

This is a tale from the condo days with my parents that never fails to bring a smile. My father had turned the second bedroom into his little den, a sanctuary where he could watch TV in peace. Meanwhile, my mother had claimed a cozy alcove in the primary bedroom, complete with a loveseat, an easy chair, and her own TV. They were stationed at opposite ends of the condo, living in their own little worlds.

Whenever my father wanted to say something to my mother, he would bellow, "EILEEN!" Of course, she wouldn't hear him at first, so he'd have to call her three or four times until finally, she'd shout back, "WHAT!?"

My dad was a huge fan of infomercials and had a notepad next to him to jot down the 800 numbers and his credit card details for all the must-have gadgets. One day, he saw an ad that he thought would solve their communication problem: an intercom system. He was thrilled and immediately ordered it.

The day the intercom arrived, my dad eagerly set it up and gave my mother a detailed tutorial on how to use it. A few days later, he was in his den watching TV and wanted to talk to my mom. He pressed the button and said, "Eileen?" He waited, but there was no response. He tried again, "Eileen?" Still nothing. Finally, from the other end of the condo, he heard her shout, "WHAT!?"

It turned out my mom, not being very technologically savvy, thought she could just yell back instead of pressing the button to respond. My dad was exasperated at first, but then he just laughed, knowing that was so typically her. They might have been at opposite ends of the condo, but they were always in sync in their own hilarious way.