Waiting On The Call

It's not hard for those of us old enough to remember rotary phones, to remember what it was like to "wait" for that phone call. I have been fortunate enough to live through a time period when we did not even have voicemail.. or as we liked to say back in the day - an answering machine.

When I was a kid, for the most part, we only had one phone, and typically it was on the wall in the kitchen. There was absolutely zero privacy when trying to have a conversation. I still remember my very first "boyfriend" calling me at home. I was probably 12 or so, and I remember my sister was sitting at the bar in the kitchen, watching mom cook and dad was filling our cups with ice. Joey had called and he asked (like they did back in the day,) if I would "go" with him. Of course, I said yes by the phone and of course, because we were 12, he said, "I love you," before he got off the phone. I remember standing there in the kitchen mortified for several reasons. For one, I came from a family that did not use the "L" word, and two.. there was no way in hell I would say it OVER the phone to HIM.

That was the last time I talked to Joey.
I guess technically, he and I are still an item. lol

One of the most memorable and precious calls I ever had was the last conversation I had with my great grandmother, who I referred to lovingly as Granny. She was dying, and was very unresponsive to most people. I got on the phone... said a few things, and ended with, "Granny, I love you." Out of no where, that woman said as clearly as I am typing this to you tonight, "I love you too." THAT is a call I will never forget.

I remember the other type of call I dreaded more than any call - the one where the doctor told me over the phone that I had cancerous cells on my cervix. They never come out and say you have cancer. They say something like they got the results came back, and that you have carcinoma in situ. I handled that call very well. I listened and asked what I was supposed to do, and the doc arranged my first of many procedures to wipe out the monsterous cells. I hung up that phone, sat there a moment and suddenly my brain kicked in - carcinoma.. carcinoma.. oh shit...

I remember waiting for the right hour to approach to call the absolute love of my life in Egypt. An eight hour time difference made all the difference in the perfect good morning and the perfect goodnight. We built an entire relationship based on the words that were shared through that phone.

We also ended a relationship on one.

From bill collectors to family members calling to report a loved one's death - the phone can represent some of life's greatest battles.

On the other hand, whispered words of love, even a shared prayer, or an answer to a question can send waves of relief through the airwaves.

I think of the calls I made tonight: One to someone who adores me, another to someone I once adored, and yet another to the person who gave birth to me.. and even one to a friend that is celebrating one of life's milestones... I am able to reflect on how fortunate we are to be able to communicate with one another. That the phone, as annoying and even as expensive as it can be, is the tool that links our hearts and our lives to one another.