How long is a Betsy call?

About ten minutes, every day. Betsy talks about a third of the time and the rest is Mom’s, so that is roughly three minutes of Betsy and seven of her. Betsy is never in a hurry. If Mom has her hair at two, she goes, and the story keeps until the next call.

Ten minutes a day, and she never has to repeat herself.

Is ten minutes enough?

Enough for one good story, or most of one. The drive to Reno gets as far as Winnemucca on Tuesday and finishes on Wednesday, because each call starts where the last one ended. Nothing has to fit in one sitting, and nothing has to be said twice. And ten minutes is easy to say yes to every day, which an hour is not.

What fills the ten minutes?

Mostly Mom. Betsy opens with wherever they left off and asks what a curious friend would ask: “Were you lost?”, not “How did that make you feel?” Not every turn is a question. She says “huh” and “wait, back up,” and then she gets out of the way. What Betsy is has a whole call, start to finish.

What if Mom has to go?

She goes, and nobody makes her feel bad about it. Betsy never guilt-trips a goodbye. A call sounds like this.

Margaret

Oh, that’s a whole other story. And I’ve got my hair at two.

Betsy

Go get your hair done. I want to hear that one. Same time tomorrow?

Margaret

Same time tomorrow.

What if she wants to keep talking?

Betsy is never in a hurry. “I’ve got all the time in the world” is how she puts it on the first call. And the story doesn’t have to end today: Mom can call back any time at the same number, and Betsy knows who it is. If a different hour would suit her better, that is hers to pick too.

Questions people ask

Does Betsy do all the talking?

No. She talks about a third of the time. The rest is Mom’s.

Does a longer call cost more?

No. There is one price and there are no tiers: $2 a day, billed $60 a month.

Can a call be shorter than ten minutes?

Yes. If Mom has somewhere to be, she says so and goes. Betsy never guilt-trips a goodbye, and the next call starts where this one ended.