Signs of the times

I can remember a time, not so long ago, when just knowing there was a pay phone ahead gave a comforting feeling. Family, friends and emergencies could all be handled by the cling clang of a few coins.

Having to pay for the call insured against getting too longwinded, and seldom was a waiting line so long it could not be endured within a few short minutes.

My, how times have changed. No more queing for the next empty booth. Now we wait behind the person in the car ahead, hoping he won't be too distracted to drive.

Now nobody sticks his head up into the booth squeezing for that tiny bit of privacy. Everyone's conversation is out in the open, like a community discussion.

And those old pay phone stations? Just like a body with no heart...dead as a door nail.