DEAR ABBY: I read your column most every day and enjoy it very much. I must tell you about an obscene telephone call I received about 8 o'clock one morning. There was heavy breathing and then a deep voice said, "I want your body." To which I replied, "Have you seen it lately?" The caller hung up immediately, never to call again. -- GINGER IN VENTURA, CALIF.
DEAR GINGER: Your letter broke me up. However, in a more serious vein, my readers should take note of the following:
DEAR ABBY: I feel that your compliment to "Frankly Boring" on how she handled her obscene telephone caller warrants further examination.
First of all, she played right into the caller's hands by inviting conversation. Next she informed the caller that she was the only adult in the house. Then she implied that she was lonely, being "cooped up with two kids under the age of 4."
As a retired police officer and author of the "Domestic Violence Survival Guide" (Looseleaf Law Publications Inc., Flushing, N.Y.), I advise readers to HANG UP IMMEDIATELY and REPEATEDLY whenever they receive a bogus phone call.
Even with automatic redial, a caller will tire of trying to bait someone who refuses to be baited. Hope this helps. -- CLIFF MARIANI, HUDSON, FLA.
DEAR CLIFF: You're right. The woman did disclose too much personal information about herself and her circumstances, and it could have led to an escalation of her problem. Fortunately, however, her unorthodox solution worked because she never heard from the caller again. Victims of obscene callers should take note of your advice -- it was more carefully thought-out than mine.