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ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS HERALD |
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MOTHER'S DAY WITHOUT MY MOTHER Yesterday was Mother’s Day, and it was the first time in 39 years that I did not celebrate it in some way with my mother. This year she is on vacation exploring Europe, her first time abroad, and she and Dad, according to the itinerary, were in Italy. I considered calling—and it was 11:30 p.m. Texas time when I decided, “Why the heck not?” I missed my mom (we talk every single day!), and I wanted to tell her “Happy Mother’s Day” as I have for over thirty decades. I know, I should be more mature about this, but, well, I love my mom, and it is when she is not around that I really realize how much I love and miss her. I am lucky, I know. My mother is alive. And close to midnight it dawned on me that because she is somewhere out there in the world, I CAN call her and speak with her. Who the heck cares how much this call is going to cost? (Luckily for me, Dave was sound asleep and had no clue I was making an international call…) With Miranda cheering me on (and why wasn’t she in bed?), I picked up the telephone and dialed the number on the itinerary. That crazy toned “sorry, your call cannot be completed as dialed…” message blared into the earpiece, so I hung up and tried again…and again…and again. It wasn’t going through. Now I know I need a country code. I did once call Guatemala, so I have had success in international calling. Looking at the number, I could have sworn I did dial a country code…so I took out the phone book and poured over the pages that I normally NEVER look at—those in the front of the book that explain every single thing you can imagine—except how to make an international call! Frustrated, I called 411, otherwise known as HELP! I got connected to that crazy tone again—“you need to dial a 1 before the number...” Since when??! OK, I hung up and dialed again, this time adding the 1 in front. “Information, can I help you?” “Yes, I am trying to make an international call from my house, and it doesn’t seem to be going through.” Hesitation… “Well, you need to know your telephone service’s country code.” Ah, ok. I didn’t realize each phone company had a different country code. Sneaky…and another way to make it hard for us to use just any phone at all… “Hmmm… I didn’t know that. OK, thank you!” I hung up and then looked through the phone book for my phone service. Once I found mine (gee, there are so many these days!), there was a list a mile long for every imagined problem one could have with a phone…EXCEPT having trouble placing an international call! I dialed ‘customer service’ and got an automated response. I pressed buttons and said “yes” when prompted, but, well, I never, ever got anywhere near a live human being, and the international codes were nowhere to be found via automated listings. At this point, Miranda tried to talk me out of calling, but I was determined, now more than ever! She kissed me and went to sleep, and I continued my goal. After several more minutes flipping through the phone book, I decided to call the operator! When in doubt, the operator would know what to do! And I was happy to know that you can still just dial “0” and get the operator—no 1 needed! “Operator. Can I help you?” “Yes, hi! I am trying to make an international call from my phone at home, and I am not able to get through. Do you have any suggestions?” “Yes. Dial 011 before the country code, then place a 0 in front of the city code…” Now she was helpful! I thanked her profusely and hung up. (So there aren’t different country codes for different phone services…according to 0. Someone needs to tell 411…) Confident, excited, my palms a bit sweaty, I picked up the phone and dialed the number, this time with the 011 first and making sure I had all the other numbers in their right place. Nope. Didn’t work. That annoying automated “your call cannot be completed as dialed” message made my heart sink. I am big on “signs” from God, and I really think this call was not to be. So I sighed, put the phone back on its cradle for the night, tucked the phone book into the cabinet, shut off the lights, brushed my teeth, and went to sleep…and I dreamed about my mom, and in my dream I was talking with her! I remember saying, “Mom, I tried to call you! I’m so glad you called! Happy Mother’s Day!” When I woke up, I was angry with myself for not asking her how she liked Europe so far! Then I smiled, realizing that I was mad at my dream self! The psyche is very complicated… I had a wonderful Mother’s Day with my two girls and my husband who gave me little treats and surprises throughout the day. My husband even investigated how to place an international call on the sly, trying to surprise me with a call to my mom, but it was not to be. It even evaded him! So, Mom, I know you are reading this, because, as my greatest fan, you read all of my columns… Even though it’s a week and a day late, “Happy Mother’s Day!” You were in my thoughts and in my dreams…and you know that you’re always in my heart. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To see my third ‘baby,’ go to www.publishamerica.com and type in the title of my book Waiting For Lucinda. It can be ordered here or at www.amazon.com or www.bn.com . What do you think? Email me at Ashore75@houston.rr.com.
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