Too often panic comes suddenly, and you do not have any time to prepare for it such as a split second occurrence, for example you drop something fragile and are paralyzed momentarily because you instantly realize that there is nothing you can do to avoid its breaking. Then there are times when panic gives a somewhat delayed warning when something less than pleasant is going to happen, you know it but are not prepared for it nevertheless, such as an important test or a deadline. You anticipate it but still panic rises as the time draws near. And episodes of panic can happen in the most unexpected places.
Nearly everyone today has a cell phone. Visit any shopping center, observe any line of traffic or be around any group of teenagers and the universality of the handheld device becomes apparent.
Of course for the handheld telephone to be viable, it must be turned on. There are those who are satisfied with a simple and traditional ring needed to get the attention of the one being called. But for others, there are multitudes of ring tones, one designed to suit the taste of the owner exactly whether it be a bar or two from a favorite song (for example the opening bars of Little Richard’s Good Golly Miss Molly) or zillions of other personalized ring tones all the way from a maniacal laugh to the sound of a bolt of lightning.
Most cell phone owners know when the device should be on and especially when it should be off. There are obviously times when silence is the better option, that is, when the phone is inoperable. But we forget. Who wants to hear the introduction of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony in a most inopportune place?
The setting was a Sunday morning church service. The gethering was serene and everyone in the congregation was engaged in deep prayer as the preacher lifted his petitions to God. The mood of the service suddenly changed however, when a ring tone, evidently turned to its maximum output came to high fidelity life. Panic!
The source was obvious especially to the parishioners who happened to be in the pew at or near the invasive sound. Too, it was immediately apparent who was the owner of the cell phone since her anxiety level made for a public display of both embarrassment and, yes, panic.
Initially she was not sure it was her phone causing the distraction, and she even fleetingly thought how disrespectful people can be who fail to turn off the phone when entering church, but then her friend seated next to her gave her the bad news. It was her telephone.
The sound was now piercingly coming from her bag on the floor at her feet. Desperately she reached for the bag only to find that she in her haste was having trouble with the zipper and to her consternation, the ring tones at least in her mind seemed to grow even louder. Unable to retrieve the phone her only thought was one of desperation so she as a last resort, reacted in a panic mood and concluded the only way to hush the sounds was to crush the instrument with her foot. Alas that failed.
Hurriedly leaving amid the stares of nearly everyone except the preacher who continued his supplications, she ran out the door and much to the delight of those left behind, peace and quiet reigned.
Later when the congregation began to sing a hymn, she crept back into her pew, steamed but not necessarily because of the ring tone because she now had concluded that her husband who knew she was attending church had deliberately called her knowing full well she would be seated in the sanctuary worshiping.
Who knows how this little family problem was solved; needless to say there was no Sunday dinner served at home that day.
The next stage of panic was from hubby when he saw his sweetie storming into the den, holding the cell phone in her clinched fist.
*
Bill Lee, PO Box 128, Hamer, SC 29547