Pay Phones

Years ago there was a pay phone on every other block. You could find them in office buildings, train stations and malls. Today they are scarce. I remember when it cost 10 cents to make a phone call. Then it rose to 25 cents. If you spoke for more than your 10 or 25 cents worth, which was three minutes, the phone calculated the overage. When you hung up the phone, it would ring back and an operator would tell you what you owed. Most of us paid the extra money. There were some of us that did not. People would hang up the phone and walk away briskly as the pay phone rang and rang. It was embarrassing if someone was behind you waiting for the phone because then it became their problem. When they picked up the receiver to dial their number, they would find an angry operator on the line demanding money. In those days, we were a more innocent society and were scared of her admonishing us. I would hate to think of how she would be treated today.