Last Ring

Two nights ago, at somewhere near 6:00 in the evening, the phone on my living room end table clamored and rattled my glass of Scotch for the last time.  I answered and found my sister on the other end.  She immediately informed me she wanted to talk with that girl.

 

I handed the phone to that girl.

Yesterday, at my request, my land line was permanently disconnected.

My generation marks the dividing line between the old “copper line” phone system users and the cellular phone revolution.  A fair number of people near my age have retained their phone lines.  None of the people my daughter’s age would consider a land line for their home.  Most everyone I know from the generation ahead of me would not consider getting rid of their land line.

I actually deliberated disconnecting my land line two years ago.  After much thought, I kept my line in place because my elderly neighbor Leo St Clair always used that line to contact me in the event of emergencies.  The land line was the only sure thing to bring me from a deep sleep.  As Leo’s health declined, the phone rang enough times to make my decision a solid one.

Leo’s passing a month-plus ago ended all arguments for keeping my land line.

As I write this, my cup of coffee is sitting on the end table where my old phone once sat.

Welcome to the new world.

--Mitchell Hegman