:up: [sumon, not Barb] BUT - in this case the precise geography doesnt matter, because 'sitting/waiting by the phone' is an idiomatic phrase that refers (typically - this keeps cropping up) to an old technology, when telephones were fixed to a particular spot (as some still are). When you expected a telephone call from someone, and particularly if you didn't want anyone (say, a parent or younger sibling...) to answer first, you had to 'wait by the phone' and pounce on it at the first ring. 'Wait/sit by the phone' means 'expect news avidly - often in a way that prevents you from doing anything else'.
Example:
'Do I get the job?'
'Possibly, but we're not sure we'll get the funding for it anyway. We'll let you know, but don't wait by the phone.'
b