“Hello. May I speak to Mr. Gary Hodgson?” the pleasant lady’s voice asked when I answered the telephone. Guardedly, I replied, “This is Gary Hodgson,” bracing myself to repel another sales person wanting to sell me vinyl siding for my brick house, investment opportunities for when I’m not overdrawn at the bank, or my favorite, my “pre-approved” credit card. I know right away they’re lying because if they’d already checked enough for “pre-approval” they wouldn’t even be calling.

Standing ready with my memorized list of snappy, somewhat rude responses I usually g...