There is a policy at the Bridgewater location of the Somerset County Library that you turn your cell phone off when entering. The staff is thoughtful, though, because you will see a sign reminding you to turn your phone back on as you leave.
Some folks are either uncaring or forgetful about following that request: On a recent afternoon, sitting at a table near the window walls of an inside courtyard, I heard the musical tones of a nearby cell phone go off. Whoever the owner is, he didn’t pick up quickly and, when he did, it sounded like he had the speaker phone on.
The caller greeted my library neighbor with a friendly female voice, declaring, “Hello, I am a credit collector. . . ” By golly, from the pleasant sound of her voice, you’d think that she was joyfully advising him that he had just won the lottery, and would he please come to pick up the check.
. . . And so it goes. These are appalling economic times, and they affect us all. We don’t know what this guy’s financial status is: whether he is a deadbeat who would be chased down even in good times, or whether he is struggling mightily just to make financial ends meet. Maybe we should keep him in our thoughts and prayers in case he’s a person undeservedly caught up in a job loss and a pile of bills.
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