"Je Vous Écoute": Well, Not From A Phone Booth In Paris, You're Not
End of an era in Paris -- the last of the phone booths are carted off. Photo by E. Tarr.
"Je vous écoute" -- "I'm listening to you" -- was the answering machine message of a guy I dated for a while in Paris. Love the brief outgoing messages. I quote my painter friend Max Ferguson's in "Good Manners for Nice People Who Sometimes Say F*ck": "Machine, beep, etcetera."
I met Max back when I was living in New York. I called a wrong number -- Max's number -- thought he sounded interesting, and kept talking.
Why? Public sex? Drugs? Or Muslims committing hate crimes?
lujlp at August 27, 2014 12:09 PM
Interesting...that's the same message as 1-800-USA-NSA1
I R A Darth Aggie at August 27, 2014 12:51 PM
Probably for the same reason they are disappearing in the U.S. Everyone is using a cell phone so the cost of maintenance, collecting what little money comes in, etc. is more than what the usage is anymore.
Jim P. at August 27, 2014 2:19 PM
I hid out in one of those phone booths with my husband during a driving rain one summer. I'm sad to know I won't have that shelter.
I read that section (bought the kindle version) about Max and your conversation and loved the whimsy of it. Very sweet.
Laurie at August 27, 2014 3:24 PM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2014/08/je-vous-ecoute.html#comment-4985848">comment from LaurieLaurie, thank you -- and thank you so, so much for buying my book! (Please, Laurie, and everyone who's liked it, please consider posting even a wee review on Amazon -- they really help!)
I've hidden out in those too, in the rain.
Amy Alkon
at August 27, 2014 4:42 PM
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