Cellular Disconnect

Lexi's scream blasted through the house as the adults entered to find a frantic teen. Lexi paced and screamed at her phone while the adults watched, amazed.

"My phone quit working in the middle of my TikTok video and won't come back on," Lexi blurted out.

Jackie checked her phone; it wasn't working either, and panic set in. Devin realized his phone wasn't working either. Hugh sat back and laughed at their panic over a simple phone.

"Back in my day, those were not even a thing; times were simpler then," Hugh said, while the others stared.

"How will I survive without my phone? My whole life is on it," Jackie exclaimed.

"Everything for work is on my phone, and now I cannot earn any money for my family," Devin shouted.

The phone lights turned on and off as the tension rose. The house was scrolling up and down, but none of the phones worked. Hugh grabbed the laptop and turned it on without a problem. The internet worked fine as he watched the others panic. His search was overwhelming, as many were looking for answers.

"The phones are out everywhere, and now we must wait for them to return with no answers," Hugh announced.

Devin took the computer and tried to sign on to his accounts so he could work while Jackie sat down to relax. Lexi cried as her world turned dark, then pulled out her laptop and ran out of the room.

The room fell quiet, as if nothing could be done and the phone would never work again. Jackie returned to her chores and cooked dinner with fear in her eyes. The day had already been difficult enough, so she texted her friends and checked Facebook. Lexi moaned from her room while the others went back to work, waiting for the function to return.

Hugh laughed at them, grabbed the newspaper, and sat in his chair, fine without a phone so telemarketers couldn't call. The rest stared at their screens in despair as the day went on.

"Well, since we all have no other distractions, maybe we could play a board game," Hugh suggested.

"We have not done that in a while since Lexi was little," Devin replied.

"Since our phones are out, it would be a fun idea. How about Monopoly?" Jackie responded.

Since my social media is less fun on my computer, I guess we can play that game," Lexi replied, coming out of her room.

The family pulled out the old game and looked at the pieces. Lexi grabbed the dog, Hugh grabbed the top hat, Jackie grabbed the shoe, and Devin grabbed the car. Each settled into their starting place with the money they'd been given. The game moved steadily as they bought up properties. Rents were another matter, and Lexi fell behind after an early start. In the end, Hugh won it all, and the others went bankrupt. For a brief moment, happiness settled in as the phones lay idle.

Evening was coming, and they ran to check if time was up, but the phones were still off. Devin pulled out an old alarm clock and gave it to Lexi because her phone wouldn't wake her up. Lexi rolled her eyes, since school was the next day. Jackie and Devin sat on the couch and watched the evening pass. They looked at each other, talked for once, and decided to settle in for tonight.

The sun rose as Lexi ran out of her room, almost late for the bus. Devin was almost late for work because Jackie had just called off. Lexi could only scream that the phones still weren't working. The stress ratcheted up when Devin couldn't turn on his GPS and had to remember the way to work.  

The whole school was angry because the other students couldn't see without their phones. Lexi complained as she sat in her first class. The teacher made them put their tablets away as the math quiz was handed out. Lexi was terrible without her phone, and the answers wouldn't come. Her phone was her calculator, and she did not know how to do any of it. The rest of the class felt incompetent as they handed in incomplete papers, and the teacher smiled. Lexi wanted to cry because she wanted her phone to work again. English class was awful because they had to write the essay without their phones. The day was going terribly, and Lexi's grades were about to drop. She also had to talk to her friends instead of texting. She just wanted her social media back.

Jackie wanted to call a friend and use the computer. The gossip wasn't there when she went to the store. She went to pay and forgot her wallet. Her phone had the card information, but she couldn't use it. She had to leave the items because she needed to go home for her physical credit cards. Heading back to the store, Jackie wished the phone would work again. Jackie checked her phone often, but it still didn't work, and she wished TikTok videos were back.

Devin was getting used to the computer again, and even to the apps being gone. He looked around his work, talking to his coworkers. The place was much more social, and people even yelled at each other to get back to work. The end of the day was the same as always, and it was time to head home. On his way, he missed his exit and had to backtrack. The roads all looked the same, and finding the right highway was essential. If only the GPS were working again. Devin arrived home and smelled the dinner as they sat like zombies waiting for the phone to start.  

Hugh sat in his chair, content, waiting for dinner. His smile as he enjoyed the newspaper brought back the old days. He was the only one truly content. Hugh even took a walk earlier to enjoy the day, thinking about his boyhood. The day was wonderful without all the distractions phones create.

The family gathered at the table and could only stare, barely talking. They looked at their dead phones with desire, waiting for them to turn back on. It was quiet, but they ate with want. Hugh tried to tell his stories, but the others were distracted. Even after the meal, they used the computers again, as if the screens were the only thing that mattered. The evening was early when they heard a sound.

The phone's messages came on, and the family ran to their old friends. Hugh could shake his head as his phone turned on. Lexi screamed, then ran into her room to finish her video. Jackie read everything she missed on Reddit. Devin picked up his phone and checked his work messages. They all stared at their screens, without a word. Hugh put the phone down and read the article about the mystery of the absent. Jackie and Devin couldn't care less, as they had their distraction back. It was like the phones were never off.