Remember When...Pay Phones

I had a horrible dream the other night...I was 13. Basketball practice had ended but my parents weren't there to pick me up. I had no change and had to do the worst of all sins: call my parents collect. Then the dream flashes to a school dance and it has ended. The same thing happens, my parents fail to show and once again being short some change I had to call them collect.

Then it happened, there was the sound of thunder and the ceiling ripped open and down came an angel. He had something in his hand that was radiating with glory: a cell phone. He handed it to me and I was saved. Not only did I have a device which allowed me to call my parents for free, but I could send text messages to friends and take pictures while downloading my favorite songs to be ringtones. How has mankind survived 7,000 years without such a tool?

Cell phones have caused almost all pay phones to get replaced. I think I saw one in the subway system of NYC a few years ago, but that's it. Pay phones cease to exist. Cell phones have made them obsolete. People younger than me have lost the experience of finding change to put in a phone to call home and the anxiousness of waiting a parent's response or anyone else when you had to call them collect.

The thing I miss most about calling collect or long distance is the weird payment plans. Ninety-nine cents for the first minute and ten cents a minute after. Or it would be some other weird connection fee, followed by a per minute rate. Maybe gas stations should restore this same principle: $3.75 for the first gallon $1 per gallon after....any seconds to this motion?