His First Hospital Stay

"What is this?" he asked, as he held up the bell cord they had fastened to his pillow.
"That's the bell, Granddad," I replied.
He pulled it several times, then remarked, "I don't hear it ringing."
"Oh, it doesn't ring," I explained. "It turns on a light in the hall for the nurse."
"Well!" he replied indignantly, "if the nurse wants a light on in the hall, she can turn it on herself."
Originally published March 04, 2003.