Marooned in a Digital Maze

By unni_kumaran
- 79 reads
Woke up to a nightmare this morning.
The Internet was not working.
Tried using the very same Internet connection to find the problem.
Bill not paid; service suspended. “Pay now through our website,” the message said. How to pay through the Internet when there was no Internet?
Never mind, I thought, I’ll use my handphone — different provider, different system.
But here came the real nightmare: that line was also barred. Payment not made.
A double fault. And one the family, still asleep, would never forgive, because their morning ablutions won’t work without a connected phone in their hands.
So off I went hunting for the nearest centre where I could make a payment.
Ten kilometres away, hidden between a hundred eating places. No parking anywhere. A hundred restaurants packed with breakfast eaters. The only empty spaces were “Reserved” lots with Town Board warnings threatening locked wheels for anyone foolish enough to park there.
But a desperate man becomes creative. I parked in front of a restaurant which had a reserved parking lot, walked in, ordered a meal, and told them I’d be back shortly.
Then I marched to the Internet provider, paid the bill, and returned to the restaurant.
I almost walked away, but that would mean being a captive to technology and dishonest at the same time. I chose captivity.
So, I sat down, ate the meal I had strategically ordered, and walked out feeling absurdly triumphant — as if I had outsmarted the entire system for one morning.
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Comments
Nice to see a happy end to
Nice to see a happy end to your problem!
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