Jeffrey, thank you for your insightful comment. I had not originally intended the iPhone to appear in all my stories when I first sat down to write, but I realized soon after I finished that what you said is indeed true. In a way the accidental presence of the iPhone in every story shows the rather ironic idea that we are constantly digitally connected to others in the modern world, but we still struggle to find deeper, emotional connections.

In the first story, the technological means to connect is given to me with the intent of making me happy. In the second, it is the solace that I cling to to drown out my thoughts. In the third, it is the apparatus that I use to call a loved one. And only then, would I argue, do I use it properly to give me the support that I need.

Thank you again for your thought-provoking analysis!