When we first moved to the Steeler Nation - before cell phones, though car phones were beginning to take hold, at a huge price - it was a long distance call for us to call ANYONE outside of our local exchange. So, my husband's office, three miles away, cost me 25 cents/minute to call, if one chose the basic phone package.
I still remember that old phone commercial where the new father makes a collect call and says his name, which was recorded for insertion into the callee's message: "We had a baby, it's a boy!" in fast speech.
MCI transformed my life when I lived over 2000 miles from the rest of my family and each sibling, niece, nephew, parent, grandparent, wanted to talk to me on Sundays. I remember getting a phone bill before then that was $400 - and that was without the boyfriend calls. MCI - monthly bill, unlimited calls.
), the phone company gave me a choice of the one remaining private line or a party line (yes, they still existed that recently). Of course, I took the private line. But like fencersmother and QA1517, for the first few years (mid - late '90s), we only had to dial the last four numbers for local calls.
