4th October 2008

I still have not phoned the numbers.

I have to be honest, I am a bit scared. Why would anyone take the call from a phone number they do not know? It is the weekend. People are out, doing weekend stuff. The last thing you want is someone you don’t know phoning you up.

The prudent thing to do is to wait until Monday. Maybe, lunchtime.

So I busied myself today in the little shoebox of a bookshop that I have recently opened. There I was in the shop, and a piece of paper flew through the door. Nicky grabbed it and said, ‘Look there are four numbers on this piece of paper.’

So here I am. I have six numbers on bits of paper.

3rd October 2008

Well there they are.

The numbers.

It has taken me two days to work out how to airbrush out the actual numbers.

Anyway, you will notice from the photos that the pub in Dublin was in fact the Turk’s Head and not the Saracen’s Head. You will also notice that 2008 is the year of reading.

I have not phoned the numbers yet. I think it would probably not go down too well at 11.00 p.m. at night. When would be the best time to call someone who does not know who you are?

Let’s see what will happen.

I am, however, looking forward to next year, 2009. Apparently, it is the year of Swindon.

1st October 2008

Who does this number belong to?

Was this number left on the Bar deliberately?

The obvious solution is a Guinness fuelled romantic liaison. Why was it left on the bar? Did whoever it was given to decide that the tourist with the brightly coloured rucksack was not really for them?

Is it a builder offering to provide a quotation for building a retaining wall on overgrowing Mulberry bush in the back streets of County Wexford?

I don’t know.

But let’s find out.

I found the number over a month ago on a recent trip to Ireland. I had decided to do nothing with it. However, I was at a book launch on Friday, and I found another number scribbled on the back of some promotional material there. That is even more peculiar than finding the number in the pub. Presumably, everyone was trying to network and exchange numbers, so why leave it? Having gone to all the trouble of obtaining the number, you would think that people would have enough about them to put it in their purse/wallet, and take it home.

I am going to call these numbers to find out who they are.

Ok, I can imagine that I will receive a fairly sceptical response.

Me: Hello, I found your number at a book launch on Friday.

Number 2: And?

Me: Well, you know, I wanted to find out who you gave it to.

Number 2: Why?

Me: Well, I don’t know, I thought it may be interesting to find out your story.

Number 2: Look will you please just leave me alone, and don’t call on this number again.

This could end nowhere.

But I really didn’t think that I would apply to every job in the Guardian dated 29/9/07, and look what happened there.

So tonight Matthew, I will be ringing these numbers to find out who they are, and who they gave the number to.

Discarded phone numbers

Temple Bar, Dublin.

I am in a pub called the Saracen’s Head and I find a telephone number written on a beer mat.