Nearest Pay Phone
I was stranded. I didn’t need a ride or money. I needed a pay phone. See, I left my cell phone on its charger at home. I needed to call my BFF Brenda to confirm our dinner plans. I was in Starbucks. No pay phone. I walked out onto the street. I scoped out the corners. No pay phone. I started walking, ducking into various establishments – like restaurants & bars – along this tony street of shops and such – past the gourmet olive oil store – No pay phone. WTF!!!
So I started asking people:
“Do you know where I can find a pay phone?” Thank God I’m dressed for my meeting with clients and not my usual “gonna have dinner in the neighborhood” garb. But each potential good samaritan scurried past me, mumbling “sorry I can’t help you” as I asked my innocent question:
“Do you know where I could find a pay phone?”
You woulda thought I was asking: “Do you know where I can find the nearest crack pipe?”
One well dressed hag asked: “Don’t you have a cell?” … fucking yuppies!
I began prefacing my inquiry with : “I left my cell phone at home and I was wondering if you knew where’s the nearest pay phone?” I felt like such an indigent.
Finally a waitress at Ranalli’s Pizza had pity on me. She tells me:
“Yea, it’s crazy, I needed to make a call once without my cell… had to walk four blocks to the one dive bar on the strip. Of course there was no handset, just a coil with wires hanging out from it!”
She let me use the restaurant phone.
Lesson learned: don’t leave home without your cell. Pay phones are scarce.
They do exist (my friend Carla says) at airports and bus stations (EEUU)
I ordered a slice of Pepperoni.
