Living in Twilight
Sandy Van Winkle
Pay phones. It’s hard to believe they were ever a thing. Of course, they’re gone now, but prior to the 1990’s, the pay phone was a sought-after public utility. They were godsends, and they were everywhere.
A pay phone in a dark corner of a smokey, dingy dive bar was particularly useful. Want to call and tell the spouse you’re “working late?” Go ahead, punch in the digits and buy an hour or two of fun. Over-served? Call a cab. And if the occasion called for something more enticing, like a no-strings hook-up, the caller needed to look no further than the phone itself, where advertisements for phone sex services might be plastered all over it. How convenient!
Anonymity was always guaranteed, just a conversation between consenting strangers. No caller ID. No “swiping.” No sexting. The caller had no idea what the person behind that sultry voice on the line looked like. It could have been someone far different than imagined. Someone far older, far less appealing, or not the gender the caller pictured. There was no way to tell. But it didn’t matter, and the caller didn’t care. That sultry voice took an interest, listened, and was entertained by the caller, and found him (or her) witty, charming, and attractive. No one laughed. No one judged. No one got “swiped,” or shamed, or trolled.
If not for that pay phone, the caller had no other safe option for making a totally anonymous, illicit call. It was either that or (gasp!) call from home – “What are you wearing, Jake from State Farm?”
“That conjured up an image of the era of the payphone, when that was a thing that people used.”
Interview by L. Valena
Can you first just say what you responded to?
I was sent three photos. The first two were of things that didn't really do much to inspire an idea, but the third one was an old payphone- a beat-up looking thing. It had porn stickers all over it. That conjured up an image of the era of the payphone, when that was a thing that people used. It looked like it had had an interesting life, so I went with that one.
What happened next?
I just jotted down some thoughts about what I pictured that phone being witness to, and put those ideas down in no particular order. After that I kind of rearranged things so it flowed better, and changed some of the terminology to make it more interesting to read. And then I had a sentence about Jake from State Farm- that was in the middle of it at first, but then I got to thinking that it would be a good way to finish. Just rearranging things- the editing process. So that's how I ended up with what I got!
Do you have memories of using payphones yourself?
Oh yeah. Nobody had their own phone of course, so if you went somewhere and needed to get in contact with somebody, that's what you used. So you always had to have some change with you. The cost of the payphone went from a dime, then up to a quarter, then to a couple of quarters. And eventually they just faded away when everyone got to carry around their own phone. Yeah- I have some memories of those.
Isn't it amazing when you watch a show from the 90's, and it doesn't seem like too much has changed, except that nobody has a phone? And most of the jokes are about not being able to contact someone in time?
It was a good excuse! You can't say that anymore!
How does this piece relate to the rest of your work?
I usually read and review new fiction, I do a lot of that. This had nothing to do with that, so it was pretty much a thing off on it's own. Where I conjured up something from this photograph, but mostly I write nonfiction, or I write reviews of other people's fiction.
Do you think this kind of work is something you'll pursue more?
Oh yeah. I enjoy doing that sort of thing. I watercolor. So anything with a creative bent like that I enjoy doing. I enjoy sitting down and conjuring something up. I know they always say to write something every day, even if it's crap. I don't always have time for it or feel inspired or I'm too lazy to do it. I do enjoy it.
Is there anything else you have to say about this piece or about the process?
No. I enjoyed the process- it was fun to look at a picture and conjure something up from an image that somebody else found interesting. We'll see what direction it all takes. It was fun.
What advice would you have for someone else?
Just have fun with it. That's what it's intended for. Just use your imagination and have fun.
Call Number: Y33VA | Y34PP.vaLi
Sandy Van Winkle: I am a retired fire department data analyst, map maker and grant writer. My creative interests lie in watercolor and writing, but I am also an avid reader and reviewer of new fiction, particularly debut authors. My greatest creative achievement has been raising two outstanding young men who make me proud every day.