CAN YOU READ ME NOW?

BY DAN MILLER
March 1, 2006

The display on my cell phone screen caught my attention.

A half hour earlier I had heard it ringing, but didn't answer it.

On the screen.... the word "PRIVATE".... which always appears when the call comes from an unlisted number.
So that provided no clue as to who was calling.

But even more intriguing, displayed on the screen were the words "Venice Calif".

I told my wife, "That call I missed came from Venice, California."
"How do you know that?", she asked.
"It's indicated right there on the little screen", I said, "it says Venice, California."

"I've never known a cell phone to indicate the city where a call originates", she answered.
"Well, that's what it said", I assured her.

I tried to show her, but by then the only word displayed was "PRIVATE", along with 12:07 pm, Feb. 24, the time and date the phone had rung.

"Who'd be calling you from Venice, California?"
"I dunno", I said, "maybe Tesh."

Then, Sunday night at dinner, I was checking the missed calls displayed on the cell phone screen, and there it was again....
'PRIVATE', and spelled out just above it, 'Venice Calif'.

"It's another call from Venice", I told her.
"I've just never heard of such a thing", she said, "Let me see it".....

"See, it's a call from Venice, California", as I handed the phone to Karen.

She looked at the screen.
"That says Voice Call", she said.

"They really should make this printing bigger", I said, "where are my glasses?"

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