A Sign of the Times

Jeremy and I have a phone line at home that we rarely ever use. To me, it seems its sole purpose is to aid me when I cannot locate my cell phone. The only people who have the number are telemarketers. No, we don't want to save money on car insurance. Yes, Jeremy has already consolidated his student loans. The only success of our land line is to cost us $40 or so a month.

We had been tossing around the idea of getting rid of it. Recently, Jeremy came to me and told me he was just going to do it. What had he been waiting for? He sat down, dialed the 800 number, had a quick conversation, and hung up the phone.

I was not expecting to hear that he had been persuaded to keep the line. The operator asked him what he would do if he needed to call 911 but his cell phone battery was dead. Wouldn't that be the moment of ultimate regret? Was he really willing to put us in that situation? He answered no, cut our bill in half, and kept the line. I am quite certain the operator got some retention bonus.

It makes me wonder... If both of our cell phone batteries were dead, it is likely our cordless phones would be dead as well as I have a genetic deficiency that prohibits me from putting a cordless phone back on the cradle. But in all honesty, keeping the land line makes me happy. My cell phone often finds its way into couch crevices and under pillows, so it is worth $20 a month to save me about 30 minutes a week trying to locate that damn thing.