Telephone

I had to cut another link with the past the other day.  I noticed that the bill for TV, Internet and Phone at our vacation home was becoming too big for comfort.

She Who Must Be Obeyed (S.W.M.B.O.) is dynamite with the cable company and seems to have a relationship with the women behind the desk there, so I dispatched her in full flood to deal with the situation.

She came back flushed with success and told me that the resulting discussions had meant us losing our telephone land line at the house.  I felt an odd feeling come over me.  It was like being cut off from an important part of life.

My parents acquired their first phone when I was about 10.  I can still remember the number Watford 4863!  Now that's a lot of use, isn't it?  But ever since there has been a line linking me to the world and when I went over to this house the other day and lifted the receiver there was nothing in the headset at all.  There was one final call for "Bobby Navarro," on the answerphone - he seems to have annoyed some collection agency and they have been calling our number for the last five years since we owned the place, in spite of my request to leave us alone.  But once that was wiped there was nothing left.  Of course, when we are there we can be reached on our cell phones, but it really isn't the same is it?