A Phone Call

“Ring Ring Ring ” My Blackberry kept ringing for the second time.

Half asleep in a hard but comfortable bed of Hilton Hotel in downtown Dublin, I answered, “Hello.”

It was my wife from home, “Are you sleeping?”

I read the time from the electronic clock, “It is 2:20AM here. What’s up?”

My technological challenged wife asked, “How does this remote control work? I cannot change the TV channel. We can only watch DVD but no Dish channels. I want to watch Lifetime.”

Somehow I managed to conceal my annoyance by the call across the Atlantic Ocean waking me in the middle night for a TV channel.

I asked, “Did you ask Nikki?”

Typically, my then eight years old daughter Nikki operated TV, DVD player, VCR and Stereo.

“Nikki tried too,” my wife replied.

“Let me speak with Nikki.” It was easier to explain to Nikki.

Nikki came on line, “Hi Dad. Sorry mom woke you up.”

“Did you try to A/V button on the remote control?”

“Oh dad, I tried all buttons on the remote. It does not work.”

“Nikki, you don’t try all buttons. You need to just press A/V button first.”

“Why are you lecturing me, dad? I tried everything. Dad, you are still sleeping and not coherent.
Why don’t you make some coffee and call us back in 15 minutes?”

Without waiting for my reply she hung up but I heard telling her mom, “Dad will call back in 15 minutes.”

I called back fifteen minutes later.

My wife answered the phone on first ring, “I can watch the TV now. Nikki managed to change the channel.”

“What was the problem?”

“I don’t know. Ask her.”

I heard my wife asking Nikki to pick up the phone from another room.

Nikki came on the line and greeted me with a giggle, “Hi dad”

“Nikki, what was the problem? How did you change the channel?”

Nikki chuckled, “Dad, my DVD movie is done now.”

“What….?”

Simply speaking, eight year old Nikki tricked a generation apart adults.