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Adventures in Cash-Machine Land
| Article
# : |
18447 |
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Section : |
LIFE
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| Issue
Date : |
9 / 1990 |
1,125 Words |
| Author
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Madeleine Begun Kane
Madeleine Begun Kane is a lawyer, oboist, and free-lance
writer living in Queens, New York. Her humor has appeared in
The Women's Record and the New York Times. |
Computerized cash-dispensing machines have sprouted up all around us. You've seen them - probably even used one. They go by countless aliases: the Easy Answer, the Timeless Teller, the Money-Maker, and, my favorite, the Green Machine. There's even one named George for those who prefer the personal touch. They make casual cash withdrawal seductively simple, with nary a glance at your bottom line.
But maybe you're like me. I'm afraid of computers. Bank machines have always terrified me. For years I pretended they didn't exist, rushing past them as fast as I could. I banked during banking hours, conducting my business exclusively with human tellers. But every month the lines grew longer as the ranks of the living tellers diminished. I knew what those mean bankers were up to. They wanted to force me to change my ways. I glanced longingly at those queueless cash machines but staunchly held out for the human touch.
My husband was an early convert. He's a computer-friendly person, unlike me. He preached the Gospel of Instant Money almost daily and slipped a bank card in my wallet “just in case.” He even tried to teach me how to use it and made me memorize our secret code. I nodded as if I actually understood him, then loyally returned to the lengthening lines.
One day I found myself stranded, cashless, and far from home. My car had broken down, and the mechanic had never heard of credit cards. It was after four o'clock, the banks were closed, and I was close to tears. Suddenly I remembered the magic banking card. With a mixture of fear and relief, I asked the locale of the nearest bank, which, luckily, was just down the block. Armed with my
... (1996 of 6270 Characters)
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