direct energy weapon

 welcome to my botshop, where we unravel what was said to whom, when, how and why.

i do not like telephones. i use them. growing up the boonies my family had neither television or telephone. we barely had electricity that we had to illegally draw current from the other side of the river. when a phone finally arrived in1984, it was too late. by then i knew books, and time travel, and phillip k dick, orwell and national geographic, time-life series, reader digest, people. i knew leagues under the sea, and secret gardens and girls just like me who grew up without modern things on prince edward island. 

the apparatus was a rotary, beige and since the conversations cost colones by the minute, it was decided only my dad could use it for business. he was a builder and owned every fun gadget for construction ever invented. when the land line came, he proccured, from one of his boxes of tricks, a small lock that was placed on the dial.

that same year, i was removed from my tuition free, spanish language alma mater, conservatorio caastella, and placed in the most expensive american country day school. my new english speaking friends had to call me because i was not allowed to call them. 

in both schools i was the weirdo who got good grades without studying because i paid attention while under my desk i was reading sallinger and jean m auel and doing miss daisy.

my pick of boys to dance with was always based on the words thay chose to ask me, which were never words but, wonkey smile, glimmering eye and messy hair. 

since i couldn’t dial out, everyone knew we were working class and, to be asked to dance, i did other kids homework for them, that way, there was a righteous excuse for a phone call.