"A Thing for Little Old Ladies"

Okay.  True story.

One morning recently, I found that my three phones had no dial tone.  I unplugged and re-plugged each.  Zilch.  (I was able to get on line, however.) Of course, I immediately used my cell phone to call the phone company who said that if the problem lay inside my house, I'd be charged for the repairman's visit.  If outside, I wouldn't.

I waited all morning.  No repairman.  I called again. "Oh," they said, "he's not coming today.  He'll be there tomorrow."

"What time?"

"It could be anytime."

"That means I'll have to wait around another day."

"Yes."  Of course, they added, if the problem lay outside the house, I wouldn't have to wait around all day.  But, of course, I wouldn't know where the problem lay until he came.

Next day.  I called again to see if they had any better idea when he'd come. They didn't.  It got to be noon.  2:00.  3:00.  I was picturing having wasted another day when, at 4:00 there he was!

First thing, he said he'd have to come inside the house to check my modem--which had been giving me trouble lately.  "Is that where the problem lies," I asked?  He didn't know.  He said he'd also have to check the phone box outside the house, his "hut" down the street, the lines between it and my house, etc.

In the meantime we chatted about how he liked this part of town and  how he lived off in the boonies and had had a terrible mud season.  He talked about his kids, their school.  And I offered some friendly topics of my own.

Around 5:00 he said everything was finished and working properly.  I could get calls in; I could get calls out; the modem was fine.  Since he'd been inside the house, I asked if I'd be charged for his hour of work.

"The fact that the line went dead wasn't your fault," he said.  "We won't charge you.  Besides," he added with a twinkle, "I have a thing for little old ladies."

ZOONK.  He means me!!!, I said to myself.  I almost laughed out loud but saved that for after he'd left.  In fact, I wasn't sure how to respond. I AM little; I AM in my 70s; I AM female.  Does that make me a little old lady?  

I actually looked it up to see how that term stands today.  To conclude:  there's the little old lady who swallowed a fly, the little old lady passing by, the little old lady who lived in a shoe, and the little old lady who was not afraid of anything.  Not all that bad company, I decided.  Let's just smile and leave it there.