Numbers

slips 24
Penny Press
Published in
2 min readJul 13, 2024
Credit iStock

I am terrible with numbers but like to save money, so while shopping at Target, I was charmed by a third party sales rep who convinced me to switch my cell plan to AT&T. He said they would buy my phone, give me an upgrade, AND save me a third on my bill for a 25% teacher discount. I fell for it.

Two months later I am still paying for two cell phone bills. My T-Mobile app wouldn’t even let me log in for my querry because when I sold out, I ported out my number. I couldn’t process what was going on but found refuge at my old T-Mobile store to share my story with my tail between my legs. I was a damsel in distress.

We figured out I signed up for a mysterious unused additional line with T-Mobile and owed over $800.00 to finish my contract. It was complicated but the sales rep got to work on solving my issue. He gave me a way to lower my balance to 38.00 a month for 3 years or something like that. I make up numbers which is part of the problem, I dont think you can make up numbers in math but thats what I do.

It took about 30 minutes for us to figure it out, but we talked randomly, almost intimately throughout the session, which made me feel better. When I gave him my ID, I moaned about how old I was, but bragged about my birthday being on 420 and how I was proud to have birthed generation X. He said 59 was still young, and he was married for 6 years and hoped he would make it to 50. The small talk helped me get through the realization that I had been totally ripped off.

I impulsively broke up with T-Mobile and cheated on them with AT&T without considering the outcome. Towards the end of our session, he shook his head and said “Damn, 16 years of loyal service… and I squealed with regret whining “Shit, I didn’t know, I just wanted to lower my bill,” but with a nervous giggle and a smile on my face.

I felt strangely turned on to this guy as he walked walked me to the door. I am paying the price for this affair, but even after all the expense and turmoil, I now fantasize about how I can go back and win them over. All is fair in love and war.

Thanks for reading! If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve read, remember to follow the publication (and clap/comment too!). Want to write for Penny Press? Please check out our submission guidelines and ask to be added as a writer in the comments of that post.

--

--

slips 24
Penny Press

Nostalgic townie with freeway phobia and a dream to escape the three mile radius of her domain.