Natasha??

About 3 weeks ago, I started to get mysterious calls from an unrecognizable phone number. I was able to pick up one day (it must have been the 2nd or 3rd call from the number). I said "Hello?" and a tinny girlish voice responded, "Nai-TASH-a?"

Me: "I'm sorry, who are you looking for?"
Girl: "Nai-TASH-a??? Nai-TASH-a, is that you?"
Me: "I'm sorry, there's no one here by that name.."
Girl: "Who is this??"
Me: "Who is this?"
Girl: "I'm looking for Natasha."
Me: "Yea, there's no one here by that name. I think you've got the wrong number."
Girl: "Okay." Hangs up.

It was funny because the girl's voice was high pitched and rather worked up. She was obviously American with a slight southern lilt. I imagined her as a drunk/silly college girl trying to call a friend.

But the next day, the girl calls again. We have the same short conversation, with me a little bit more annoyed because this girl is using my rented cell phone's minutes.

Fast forward 2 weeks. I'm in Paris, sitting on my mom's hotel bed, checking my voicemail for the first time in a month. I have nine messages. The first three are junk or no longer relevant.

The fourth one, then, comes as a complete surprise: "Hi Natasha, this is Hannah and Ava...We just wanted to say that we are huge fans of your music. My daughter, Ava, especially likes your music. We've called before but she was too embarrassed to leave a message, so I will! We absolutely love your song "A Pocketful of Sunshine." We're actually in Texas but we just wanted to call and say that we love you and your music! We'd love to hear back from you! Bye Natasha."

My initial reaction is shock. These people think that they can just call the cell phones of international pop stars?

And then I start laughing.

Amused, I save that message to my archives and go on to the next. Now it's the daughter, Ava, with whom I had spoken several weeks before. Same tinny voice: "Hi Natasha, this is Ava. I just wanted to say that I really love your song "A Pocket..A Pocket Full of Sunshine." I got your CD for Christmas and I just really love it. I would love to hear back from you! I really like your music. Bye Natasha."

More laughter from my listening end.

I save that message as well and move on. The next one is also from Ava, though much shorter: "Hi Natasha, this is Ava. I just wanted to leave a message. It would be great to hear back from you! Bye." (It might have been my imagination, but she did sound a little more dejected.)

And that was the last from crazy Natasha Bedingfield fans Hannah and Ava. I can't even imagine how they thought that my rented cell phone number was the number of the pop artist.

This was especially funny because, before I heard the voicemail, I had told friends about the girl who kept calling me asking for Natasha. However, I told the story imagining that the girl was some sorority girl looking for her friend Natasha. How far from the truth that was.

I would give out fake numbers too, if I were Natasha.