I had just sat down to dinner this evening when the phone rang.

I looked at the caller ID. I didn’t recognize the number, but it was from the 202 area code. I figured it was a telemarketer who wanted me to consolidate my student loans with his company.

“Hello?” I said.

“Hello, I’m looking for Jeff ——-?” he said.

“That’s me,” I said.

Telemarketers usually ask for Jeffrey.

“Is this the Jeff ——- who wrote the letter in the New York Times yesterday?”

This could be interesting.

“Yes, it is.”

“I’m calling from Ralph Nader’s office. Mr. Nader saw your letter, and he’d like to send you a book.”

Huh?

“Really? Um… wow.”

Then he recited my address and I confirmed it.

“Um, do you know what kind of book he wants to send me?”

“I don’t know, actually, but I assume it has something to do with gay rights.”

“Okay. So… Ralph Nader himself actually read my letter?”

“Yes, he did.”

“Well, I’d love to receive a book from him!”

“Great.”

“Wow. Well, please tell him ‘thank you,’ if you happen to speak to him.”

“I’ll be sure to do that.”

The call ended. And I just stood there, kind of… stunned.

And then I wondered if it was really some right-wing organization that wanted to confirm my address in order to send me a letter bomb.

So I went online and typed the caller ID number into a reverse telephone number lookup engine. Three different organizations came up — all of them organizations formed by Ralph Nader.

I figure there are several possibilities:

1) Ralph Nader read my letter and was genuinely moved by it.

2) Ralph Nader is running for president again in 2004 and wants to shore up the gay vote, homo by homo.

3) 1 and 2.

Life gets stranger and stranger.