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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Comment
Adrian Chiles

It can be hard to end a phone call. But ‘Okaybye’ is not the way to do it

Young woman walking outdoors and talking on cell phone
‘Sometimes you can say more on the phone than in person.’ Photograph: Jacob Lund/Alamy

Phone conversations can be great things. It’s a shame we’re in an age when you can’t just have them on impulse. One of my oldest friends came to mind yesterday morning. We had not spoken for a couple of months and I wanted to hear his voice. And even with him I felt it would be a slight imposition to just call. So I texted him first to see if he could talk. This process has become so normal that I didn’t give it a second thought until afterwards. Anyway, he responded in the affirmative, agreeing that the call could be made there and then, which it was, and we had a good conversation.

While meeting a friend in person is optimal, phone calls have their place. Sometimes it feels as if you can say more, perhaps speaking more frankly than if you were looking into the whites of each other’s eyes.

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