Quake It Or Leave It

I’m on a call with a client to explain some issues with a project that was sent to him earlier. In the middle of the call, my office building shook with a pretty strong earthquake. Alarms sounded off, and evacuation began immediately.

Me: “Sir, I am going to have to call you back. We’ve just experienced an earthquake, and we need to evacuate the building. I am sure you can hear the alarms in the background.”

Caller: *Sighs.* “Do you have to go right this minute?”

Me: “…yes, sir, it’s an evacuation.”

Caller: “What floor are you on?”

Me: “A pretty high one.”

Caller: “Well, keep explaining the project to me for a few more minutes. It’ll give time for the stairwell to thin out a bit, and you can get down it faster.”

Me: “…no, sir. That isn’t how evacuations work. I’m going to put the phone down now.”

Caller: “Can you call me on your cell while you take the stairs?”

Me: “No!” *Click.*

The client left a voicemail with my boss, explaining how I was rude and aggressive. My boss called him back and said that if he ever tried to keep any of his guys inside a building during an emergency again, he’d drop him as a client.

CORRECTION: Some repeated words have been removed.