Sooo....can I hang up now?

So I make a phone call at work because I needed to get some information from a doctor's office. The voice on the other end of the line sounds warm and friendly and we have a pleasant conversation as she hunts down the info I need. Of course, the conversation has to end and for some reason I always find that it gets to be a little awkward.

Me: Well thanks so much for all of your help!

Mysteriouswarmandfriendlyvoiceontheotherendoftheline: Yeah! No problem!

Me: Well, you have a good day. 

Mysteriouswarmandfriendlyvoiceontheotherendoftheline: Thanks! You too!

Me: Ok, thanks! 

Mysteriouswarmandfriendlyvoiceontheotherendoftheline: You're welcome!

Me: Ok, talk to you later. 

Mysteriouswarmandfriendlyvoiceontheotherendoftheline: K

Me: Take care! 

Mysteriouswarmandfriendlyvoiceontheotherendoftheline: You too.

Me: All right, bye. 

Mysteriouswarmandfriendlyvoiceontheotherendoftheline: Bye.

Then you wait to see if they hang up and when you can tell that they've moved the phone away from their ear, you can finally put the phone down. Uhhh...does anyone else see the ridiculousness of that? For some reason, it takes a good three or four different ways of saying goodbye before we actually end a phone call. I listen to other people and they have this problem too. I can't tell you how many times I've heard, "ok, talk to you later, k, thanks, mmmbye" before someone actually gets to hang up the phone. When I noticed this, I tried to limit the amount of closings to a few by pretty much making it into compound word so as not to waste time annnnnd I sounded like a jerk face.

Me: Ok, thanksbye.

Adifferentmysteriouswarmandfriendlyvoiceontheotherendoftheline: ...Uhh... 

Awkward silence.

Adifferentmysteriousnotsowarmandfriendlyvoiceontheendofthelineanymore:...Phone hangs up.

The weird and stunned silence made me feel like I had robbed her of her ability to wish me good karma and many years of fertility and sunshine. Does this mean I am doomed to always getting feelings of anxiety as conversations come to a close? Do I really have to say goodbye a gagillion different ways before hanging up? Cuz sometimes...I just want to hang up. It makes me think of those times you're talking to someone on the phone and your favorite tv show is going to come on any minute so you're finally getting to the weirdo five goodbyes point in the conversation. The problem? By using several sentences to end the phone call, you are just giving that other person a chance to think about what else they could possibly tell you so that they can keep talking to you.

Me: Ok, well I'll talk to you later!

SomeoneelseI'mtalkingtothatIwanttogetoffthephonewith: Ok, talk to you later!

Me: K

SomeoneelseI'mtalkingtothatIwanttogetoffthephonewith: K, bye!

Me: Buh-

SomeoneelseI'mtalkingtothatIwanttogetoffthephonewith: WAIT! That reminds me!


Uh... WHAT?! WHAT REMINDS YOU??? OUT OF THE FEW WORDS THAT I JUST SAID SO I COULD GET OFF THE PHONE, WHAT THE CRAP REMINDS YOU OF SOME RANDOM STORY THAT HAS TO DO WITH ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WE JUST SAID???!??!?

Of course, you don't say something like that out loud so you mentally sigh and you realize that you get to do the whoooole stupid closing conversations again. Which gives them time, yet again, to think of more stuff to say.

Me: All right, well I've gotta go. I'll talk to you later. 

SomeoneelseI'mtalkingtothatIreallyreallywanttogetoffofthephonewith: Ok, see ya.

Me: Sounds good. 

SomeoneelseI'mtalkingtothatIreallyreallywanttogetoffofthephonewith: K

Me: Bye 

SomeoneelseI'mtalkingtothatIreallyreallywanttogetoffofthephonewith: WAIT! ONE MORE THING! 


Sonofa.... When we finally get to the end of our conversation for the fourth time, it makes me think...


Sooooo...can I hang up now?