Nobody blames Mom’s inability to use a phone on her age. She was the same when she was 30, 40, and so on. Phones are the only technology that she uses, unless you count the remote control. (she also has issues with it) She won’t even attempt to use a computer, GPS, or anything electronic. Mom claims that things like this just, “go crazy on her” but my sister says that mom has the ability to tear up a steel ball with a rubber hammer.
Mom has never really learned how to use call waiting. If you are talking to her and she gets a beep, she hangs up. It doesn’t matter what you are talking about, she has to go RIGHT THEN. Unless, you are her sister. Then she won’t hang up and it will beep and beep and you think she isn’t answering or something tragic has happened. Has she tripped over the dog and broken a hip? Did she pass out? My imagination goes far beyond what I can even write on here. If I can’t reach her and I know she is home, I worry.
An example of this happened yesterday. Mom has been sick and I called to check on her, knowing that she would be home alone. No answer. I tried again. No answer. I called her cell. Maybe she is talking to Peggy and won’t answer. I try later. No answer. I thought that maybe she was in a deep nap, as she is prone to do, and called a few hours later. Again no answer.
At this point I am in a slight panic and picture horrible things involving an ambulance and xanax. I call my Dad, who is only slightly more advanced and says that he will try to call her with his phone. As if I wasn’t doing it right and his would work but guess what? Still no answer.
He sends my brother rushing to check on her (thankfully he was just getting off work) and finds her with both phones “going crazy”. The landline would not ring and the cell phone would “only dial the number 3 and it kept talking to me. It kept telling me to say a command. I said BE QUIET but it never did.”
Today I called her on her landline and she answered. Only thirty seconds or so into the conversation I had a beep and it was Mom calling me from her cell. I told her that I was getting a call from her cell and she uttered a few words under her breath and then we resumed our conversation.
Mom is pretty bright and talented in many areas, but the phone wins every time.
