(Strip Number 6145, Original Publication Date, 9 December 1984)
Panel 1: We find ourselves at John's office watching Jean rewinding the answering machine on her lunch break so she can review the morning's messages.
Panel 2: When the tape gets to the first message, we hear the standard BEEEEEEEEEEP noise.
Panel 3: Jean is irritated because the first message was not left by a patient but by an ill-mannered git who has nothing better to do with his or her free time than to leave the following absurd, tasteless and vulgar message (Hi, NERD-HEAD! Hoobabooda!!! What's up, doc? Bysie-wysie!!) on the answering machine of a busy man.
Panel 4: Message Two is from a right head-banger who belches loudly into the receiver and laughs at his or her alleged cleverness.
Panel 5: Jean is really pissed off at having to hear a rather vulgar and insulting take on "Roses are red/Violets are blue."
Panel 6: Having returned from lunch, John asks Jean if there were any messages.
Panel 7: Jean says that yes, there were.
Panel 8: She then tells him that his children called.
Summary: Michael's antics are what I like to call "beyond the pale." There's no call for phoning up your dad and being a shit just because you're boooooored. Then again, Mike has a pretty lousy example to live up to so he, if not forgivable, is at least understandable.
