Stick a pin in the phonebook. See where it lands. Make the call. Does everyone have a story? Five writers find out

When I first read the email, I suspected it was a personality quiz in disguise.

“We want to run a project where you’ll randomly call some stranger from the local phonebook and ask her to meet you for coffee and share her life story for publication. You up for this?”

My response:

1. NO. I am an introvert.
2. NO. I don’t handle rejection well. Especially when the other person is yelling at me over the phone and threatening to call the cops.
3. NO. I have children who are almost in shidduchim.

I sat there for a few moments, puzzling over whether my introversion, cowardliness, or social conformity was my more dominant trait. But a few more emails back and forth finally convinced me: Um, I think this is for real. And somehow, I found myself choosing option d:

YES. I’m a glutton for punishment always up for an adventure.

(Okay, no, I’m not. I was the kid who sat on the bench at the amusement park when everyone else went on the roller coaster. But I am a total sucker for flattery. All she had to do was tell me that they need really strong writers for this project, and she had me in the bag.)

Truth be told, I was totally captivated by the premise. Each of us is a world of our own, with our own unique story. I loved the idea of teasing out that story from a random woman, of proving that greatness lies inside any name that you happen to stick a pin through in your local phone directory.

I was about to prove it, or prick my finger in the attempt.