Used to be, there was a woman at the end of the line. So if I pick up the phone
and say hey Betty can you put me through to these ten thousand phones? And once
you're there, play the killing sound. Thanks you're a doll.
There's gonna be a hand on her shoulder that tells her to wait. But
institutional memory isn't for shit. One guy in a city knows the secret and a
heart attack cracks him open, it's gone. Good-bye.
So everyone wants to automate the whole deal, get Betty out of that chair and
off raising kids. Or riveting steel. I'm not a historian. I know phones. And now
no one's around to say these things are dangerous. No reason not to make it a
few twirls on the rotary. You kids don't even remember that. Now that felt like
a murder. Click, whir, click, whir, body hits the floor. Now you just type in a
few numbers...
And there you go.
Huh. What're your area codes? 412 like his? Should've known. Just came for a
visit? Tourism's a racket. What's the difference between a beach and a picture
of a beach? You're seeing the same thing.
Getting close to last call. Better get out of here before anyone notices the
mess. You kids heard of any after-hours places an old man can get a bit of
attention?
and say hey Betty can you put me through to these ten thousand phones? And once
you're there, play the killing sound. Thanks you're a doll.
There's gonna be a hand on her shoulder that tells her to wait. But
institutional memory isn't for shit. One guy in a city knows the secret and a
heart attack cracks him open, it's gone. Good-bye.
So everyone wants to automate the whole deal, get Betty out of that chair and
off raising kids. Or riveting steel. I'm not a historian. I know phones. And now
no one's around to say these things are dangerous. No reason not to make it a
few twirls on the rotary. You kids don't even remember that. Now that felt like
a murder. Click, whir, click, whir, body hits the floor. Now you just type in a
few numbers...
And there you go.
Huh. What're your area codes? 412 like his? Should've known. Just came for a
visit? Tourism's a racket. What's the difference between a beach and a picture
of a beach? You're seeing the same thing.
Getting close to last call. Better get out of here before anyone notices the
mess. You kids heard of any after-hours places an old man can get a bit of
attention?
An Old Man's Story by June Martin, page 3