21st Birthday

Felsha's overseas birthday, reminded me of an overseas call I made.

Aunt Mary got married around March of 1978 . I did not attend: I had an ongoing contract to teach at Tonga High School. In '78 we corresponded by aerogram-- a sheet of lightweight, pale blue paper, which was both letter body and envelope. A sleek aeroplane was printed next to the postage area, Had I posted weeks in advance, it would have arrived in time for Mary's Connecticut wedding!

To be at the once-in-a-lifetime wedding, I scheduled an overseas call. To make one in the Kingdom of Tonga, I needed to visit the Central Telecommunications Office. It was at the far end of a new limestone road, at the edge of developing Nuku'alofa. Telecom Central had a dish antenna as larger than an elephant, aimed at the blue sky above the South Pacific.

After the hot bicycle ride, it was a relief to step off the glaring limestone roadway into the shade of Telecom Central. To gain phone access, you needed to prove that you had cash. A stout clerk, aware of her importance as the Kingdom's gatekeeper, took my five pa'anga, and indicated my position in the phone queue. The phone cubicles had sound absorbent tiles, like the ones in a language laboratory, but the cubicles were open to passersby. I could overhear different conversations with destinations like Auckland and Melbourne. Most of the sessions sounded precious. When my turn came, the mighty o/s operator assigned me a numbered cubicle--in Tongan. I felt proud and grateful I could understand her words.

After a few clicks and whistles, I could hear a Aunt Sandy over celebration hubbub in Connecticut. All the family was there, and certainly-- Aunt Mary was getting married!

Leaving telecom, feeling cooler, I stepped back into the limestone sunlight. I glanced to the motionless satellite dish. The behemoth had assisted me, and I was thankful.