Those of us old enough to remember when the phone was wired to the wall, usually in the kitchen, can relate to this story. I loved this read. When I was a young boy, my father had one of the first

Those of us old enough to remember when the phone was wired to the wall, usually in the kitchen, can relate to this story. I loved this read. When I was a young boy, my father had one of the first rotary phones. It wasn’t just a phone, it was an artifact. That thing was a prized possession, a relic of a simpler time when people had patience—and the strength to spin a wheel 50 times just to call Aunt Betty.

One day, I was in the kitchen, trying to make a call. I picked up the receiver, cradled it on my shoulder, and started dialing. I got about halfway through, when suddenly I realized something—this was a long-distance call. I froze, staring at the phone in horror. “I’m going to be grounded for life!” I thought.

I didn’t dare ask my parents for the long-distance code. The thought of hearing that dreaded “call is being charged at 50 cents a minute” announcement made me break into a cold sweat. So, I did what any smart kid would do: I hung up the phone.

I waited a few minutes, my heart still racing, before I tried again. This time, I dialed slowly, carefully, as if somehow this would outwit the cosmic powers of phone bills. But no, it was inevitable. Dad entered the room and with a smirk said, “I heard that.” I had no idea how he knew. Was it the faint sound of a phone receiver being put down, or the fact that we lived in a small house and there was nowhere to hide?

He sighed and said, “Kid, when you use the phone, remember this: if you're gonna make a long-distance call, don’t use it to order a pizza.”

I never figured out how to escape that bill... but I did discover how much a slice of pizza costs when you're on a phone call with the pizza guy for more than ten minutes. The best part? Dad never let me forget it. To this day, every time I hear the dial tone, I can hear his voice in my head: "Don't you dare order pizza again."