DEAR ABBY: The letters about obscene phone calls reminded me of something that happened when I was a teen-ager.
A group of us would hang out at "Charlie's" house after school and on weekends. We'd play pingpong, cards, watch TV or just "shoot the breeze." One night, a boy named "Mark" began making obscene phone calls. He would dial random numbers, make a few crude remarks, and then hang up and laugh. We all wanted him to stop, afraid the calls could be traced and we'd all get in trouble. He refused. He said he was having too much fun to stop.
Another friend, "Clint," said he wanted to make the next call. Mark handed him the phone. Clint dialed a number, then quickly handed the phone back to Mark, saying, "I'm too nervous. YOU talk."
Mark took the phone and made his usual crude remarks. His face turned white as he heard a woman say, "Mark, is that you?" Mark slammed the receiver down and asked, "What number did you dial?!" "Your home phone," Clint replied.
As the rest of us howled, Mark actually burst into tears. Perhaps it was a cruel lesson, but Mark never again made an obscene phone call. -- STILL LAUGHING IN L.A.
DEAR LAUGHING: It may have been cruel, but the day your friend "talked trash" to his mother was a day I'm sure none of you will forget!