AUBREEVISION - Observations from the far side of the dial

Had the most hilarious experience at work today. Let me clarify that I work at a women's gym, a detail important to the story.

The drama began with someone calling about a position we'd advertised. I said I wasn't sure if the bosses were still hiring, but encouraged the caller to drop by with a resume just in case.

Nothing out of the ordinary so far. But things started to get weird when a man entered the gym about 20 minutes later. Our exchange went something like this:

Me: "Hi, how are you?"

Man: "Hi, I think it was you I was speaking with on the phone regarding a job posting."

Since my phone conversation had been with a woman, or so I thought, I was a little confused.

Me, at a loss but remaining polite: "Oh. it might not have been me. Uhhh....when did you call?"

Man: "About 20 minutes ago. Here, I brought you a resume."

At this point I'm really confused. We're a women's gym. Is this guy joking? Is he dropping off a resume for his girlfriend? I swear it was a woman on the phone! I remain, however, exceedingly polite.

Me: "Um, this is actually a women's gym."

Man: "Oh, I know."

By now I'm completely dumbfounded. All I can do in response is spell out the obvious.

Me: "Our staff is also all-female. So, ah, you probably wouldn't be the best fit."

When I break the bad news, the man, who barely qualifies as such since he can't be more than 20, is completely crestfallen. He actually looks devastated.

Man: "Oh, I see. Oh. Well, okay. Well, I'll leave my resume anyway in case you ever need my services."

I wished him good luck and with that he left as awkwardly as he had come. He seemed so disappointed that I actually felt guilty for destroying his unfathomable fantasy of working at a women's-only gym. And through it all remained the mystery of how I mistook him for a woman on the phone. Talk about surreal...