34 seconds

Me: Hi! How are you?
Him: Fine thanks, you?
Me: Good thanks ... hang on a minute, I'm just trying to figure out where I am [insert waffle about where I'm trying to get to as I temporarily suffer geographical ambiguity] ... are you still in town?
Him: No, I'm at home.
Me: Oh, that's a shame - I thought if you were still in town we could meet up for a coffee.
Him: Well I'm at home, so I can't. I'll speak to you later. Bye.
Me: Ok then. Bye.

My tone was cheery, deliberately so, and his was blunt and cold. I checked my call log, it took 34 seconds.

As I hung up the phone I laughed out loud - how rude! Over the following half hour I momentarily considered that something may be seriously wrong, perhaps he'd suffered a trauma? In the current climate, where modern telecommunication enables instant access to anything and anyone I believe it also enables choice - answer the phone, don't answer, reply, don't reply. I also consider bad manners shocking, downright rude and mostly wholly unnecessary.

Upon returning home I read a newly purchased book cover to cover, uninterrupted, which felt like a luxury ... but I'd much rather have been interrupted. I'm getting the distinct impression he's pissed off with me because of what happened yesterday, but I don't really believe he has legitimate cause. He's ambivalent about seeing me and I plan my time, he doesn't - so on this we clash.

Yesterday I thought it might be a good idea to have 'the conversation' face to face so invited him to join me for lunch today, Saturday, which he eventually accepted, and in very positive terms too. Unfortunately he took so long to accept I'd gotten bored and invited someone else - operating a first come, first served principle I then had to inform him that he was too slow so I couldn't see him after all. His response was to inform me that actually he was double booked so couldn't have met me anyway ... I replied that although a moot point I was sorry for the double booking, but that I hoped he enjoyed his lunch appointment.

With that in mind, re-read the 34 second conversation. Was it necessary for him to all but hang up on me? No. Did he stop to ask how my lunch was? No. Has he since been in contact? No. Do we think he deserves to be told to fuck off, grow some balls and leave me alone? Yes. Will he be told that? No. Because I have better manners and will not play him with the same cards he's dealt me ...