Wrong Number

I received a text message the other day that was immediately recognized as a wrong number but it was a wrong number that made my day.

Actually, two days.

I get lots of scammers, political parties, and companies, mostly who want to take my money from me. But I almost never get a text message that is intended for another person.

I knew it was a wrong number because the person was writing to somebody by the name Tina. The last time I checked, my name wasn't Tina. Normally, when I get a misdirected text, I delete it immediately, without reading the rest of the message, but this one intrigued me.

The texter was inviting Tina to dinner. On the menu: Japanese food.

I hadn't had dinner yet, and the thought of Asian food made my stomach rumble. I replied to the message by saying that I wasn't Tina but the thought of Japanese food was appealing.

I got no response. I guess I wasn't going to be invited.

The next day, however, I received another text from this person. This time, they weren't trying to reach Tina. The person was contacting me.

Apparently, the writer said, my phone number and Tina's phone number are similar. They regretted the mistake and hoped that they hadn't upset me. Or words to that effect.

I was going to leave the communication there but the message put a smile on my face. Of course, the person hadn't bothered me. In fact, after responding to the first message, my family and I ordered Asian food for dinner because I had a craving for it after thinking about Japanese food. It was all good.

I wanted to let the person know that I wasn't bothered by their message, so I wrote back.

Having bid the person a good day, I thought that would be the end of the messages. And indeed, the person didn't respond and so I thought we were done and dusted.

But almost a half hour later, another message came through. I learned that the anonymous texter was new to Canada. Their final message warmed my heart.

I didn't respond, though I was tempted. I wanted to welcome them to my country and wish them a pleasant stay. Maybe I should have.

What do you think?