information please

[Guest guest]

Information Please

 

When I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones

in our neighborhood.

I remember the polished, old case fastened to the wall.

The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to

reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my

mother talked to it.

Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived

an amazing person. Her name was " Information Please " and there was

nothing she did not know. Information Please could supply anyone's

number and the correct time

My personal experience with the genie-in-a-bottle came one day while

my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench

in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer, the pain was

terrible, but there seemed no point in crying because there was no

one home to give sympathy

.. I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally

arriving at the stairway. The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the

footstool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing. Climbing up, I

unhooked the receiver in the parlor and held it to my

ear. " Information, please " I said into the mouthpiece just above my

head

A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear.

" Information. "

" I hurt my finger... " I wailed into the phone, the tears came

readily enough now that I had an audience

.. Isn't your mother home? " came the question.

" Nobody's home but me, " I blubbered.

" Are you bleeding? " the voice asked

" No, " I replied. " I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts. "

Can you open the icebox? " she asked

I said I could.

" Then chip off a little bit of ice and hold it to your finger, " said

the voice

After that, I called " Information Please " for everything. I asked her

for help with my geography, and she told me where Philadelphia was.

She helped me with my math. She told me my pet chipmunk that I had

caught in the park just the day before, would eat fruit and nuts

Then, there was the time Petey, our pet canary, died. I called,

Information Please, " and told her the sad story. She listened, and

then said things grown-ups say to soothe a child. But I was not

consoled. I asked her, " Why is it that birds should sing so

beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap

of feathers on the bottom of a cage?

She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, " Wayne

always remember that there are other worlds to sing in. "

Somehow I felt better

.. Another day I was on the telephone, " Information Please. "

" Information, " said in the now familiar voice. " How do I spell fix? "

I asked

All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When I

was nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston. I missed

my friend very much. " Information Please " belonged in that old wooden

box back home and I somehow never thought of trying the shiny new

phone that sat on the table in the hall. As I grew into my teens, the

memories of those childhood conversations never really left me

Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity I would recall the serene

sense of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient,

understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy

A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in

Seattle. I had about a half-hour or so between planes. I spent 15

minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then

without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown

Operator and said, " Information Please. "

Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well

" Information. "

I hadn't planned this, but I heard myself saying, " Could you please

tell me how to spell fix?

 

There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer, " I guess

your finger must have healed by now. "

I laughed, " So it's really you, " I said. " I wonder if you have any

idea how much you meant to me during that time?

I wonder, " she said, " if you know how much your call meant to me. I

never had any children and I used to look forward to your calls. "

I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked

if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.

" Please do " , she said. " Just ask for Sally. "

Three months later I was back in Seattle. A different voice answered,

" Information. " I asked for Sally

" Are you a friend? " she said.

" Yes, a very old friend, " I answered.

" I'm sorry to have to tell you this, " she said. " Sally had been

working part-time the last few years because she was sick. She died

five weeks ago. "

Before I could hang up she said, " Wait a minute, did you say your

name was Wayne? " " Yes. " I answered

" Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down in case you

called.

Let me read it to you. "

The note said, " Tell him there are other worlds to sing in

.. He'll know what I mean. "

I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant

Never underestimate the impression you may make on others.

Whose life have you touched today?

Why not pass this on? I just did...

Lifting you on eagle's wings. May you find the joy and peace you

long for

Life is a journey ... NOT a guided tour.

 

 

 

 

 

i just had to share this

 

ladyfire