Stories: Elder
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| When I first arrived in England I found many things to be very different from what I had grown up with in Canada. Things as common as public pay-phones provided a real learning curve.
I arrived in Grimsby in November 1968. My companion and I had a dinner appointment, but a snow storm came and my companion asked me to go to the phone box to call the family to let them know that we would be unable to attend dinner because of the snow. I went to the first phone box and found I couldn't push money into the box. Thinking that the phone was broken, I went on to the next phone booth and tried again. Again I couldn't put money into the collection box, I was surprised to find two phones that would not accept money, I went on to find a third phone. This time when it would not accept the money, I simply dialed the number and to my surprise the people answered, but before I could get my message out, the phone started beeping and then disconnected. I was nothing if not determined. After finding every phone out of order I ended up going all of the way to the home of the dinner appointment and told the family that my companion and I could not make it through the snow to attend dinner. I wish I had known that you were supposed to put the money in the phone after the people answered, if I had it would have saved many years of teasing from my wife and children and anyone else who has heard the story. On the other hand whenever I get thinking that I am just too clever, I remember the time I showed up at a family's door to tell them I couldn't get to their door, and a needed dose of humility brings me back to earth. |
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