service disruption

[OT from cottage renovations]

there are moments in life that one dreads.  seldom do they turn comic with a soft landing and happy ending. 

it was after midnight; I had already gone to bed and was in a near-sleep state.  the mobile 'phone was downstairs in its charger when it rang; by the time I got to it the call had just rolled over to voice mail.  of course.  stupid Verizon.  the 'phone, loaded with links to services I don't want and never use, doesn't have a way to change the interval before an inbound call is redirected.  looking at the display I can see the missed call was from the Wonder Boy.  just as I was about to hit the send button the land line starts ringing. 

that line, at least, doesn't roll or bounce.  it just rings until the handset is lifted from the receiver or the caller runs out of patience, whichever comes first, just as God and Alexander Graham Bell intended. 

it's also just enough of an interval for a certain fear factor to set in. 
picking it up I hear his voice and he sounds O.K.  so far, so good. 

he:	"Dad, do you have any money, any cash?"
me:	"well, sure, not much but there is a little and I'm glad to help.  what do you need?"
he:	"I was on the last Metro train of the night and it skipped the University stop and the one after that, so I'm here at the end of the line* and I don't have more than a dollar or two."
me:	(relieved) "no problem, just catch a cab and we'll pay the fare when you get here.  you can stay in your room tonight and take the subway back in tomorrow morning in time for your first class".

with each step of interaction the incident became less of a threat and more innocuous, ending up as nothing at all, just a funny late night story. 

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when you're a parent you're never off duty.  even when they grow up and head out you're still attuned to a constant potential for disaster.  once it is averted your reflexes stand down, for a little while, but there's no cutoff switch, they can't be disabled. 

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* about 2½ miles away