Thanks, Kate

With no insurance, I didn't stand a chance against the tyranny of the mobile phone business. Screen cracks aren't covered by the manufacturer's warranty, after all, so when I walked into the busy Verizon wireless store, I didn't have high hopes. Kate didn't make me feel much better, either, when she told me there was nothing she could do, and that she could pretty much guarantee that even if I waited forty-five minutes to speak with a techie, he would tell me the same thing. So what was I supposed to do?

"Well," she said, "Let me take it into the back and see what I can do." You can laugh at me from behind the one way mirror is what you can do, I thought. I waited five minutes before Kate emerged from the back office and strolled across the store to another hidden nook. Another five minutes and she returned with a small, plain looking box.

You didn't have to give me a courtesy replacement, Kate. You could have shrugged your shoulders in helplessness and sold me a new phone. You could have left me bitter at the sound of 'Verizon', but instead you left me bewildered and disorientated, my faith in humanity invigorated. It's rare when that happens, so thanks. It sounds silly because it's just a phone, but your actions actually represent something far beyond my dependence on technology. As computers take over, I find solace in knowing that I can depend on other people, namely people like you, Kate.

So thanks.

Photo credit: psd