The telephone is a wonderful...
Illustration
The telephone is a wonderful tool for communication. However, it can be both frustrating and frightening to wait for a phone call to come through in times of crisis. A friend shared the following story about one such occasion in his life. My mother was undergoing major surgery and I was not able to be there, as I was in graduate school more than 2,000 miles away from home. Time seemed to stop and even go backwards as the hours passed. I could not concentrate. I was restless. I wanted the phone to ring, but I was afraid the news might not be good. Naturally, the phone did ring several times during those hours, and each time, I jumped to answer it so fast that I nearly knocked it off the counter. Once the call was someone trying to sell magazines; there was a reminder of an upcoming appointment; and even a concerned friend. These calls were not the call I was waiting for so anxiously. The afternoon became evening; evening became night. I tried to watch television, but couldn't even concentrate on that, so finally I went to bed. It was nearly midnight before the phone rang again. I knew this was the call I had been waiting for. I remember how loud the ringing sounded in the darkness as I groped for the phone and finally picked up the receiver. I heard my aunt's voice on the other end of the line. I couldn't tell by the tone of her voice what had happened, and I felt panic. I was so anxious I couldn't even focus on what my aunt was saying to me. Finally, her words got through: "Your mother is going to be all right." A great wave of relief seemed to wash over me as I hung up the phone. I took a deep breath. Even though I hadn't turned on any lights, the night didn't seem dark any more. -- Parker
