As most of my readers have ascertained by now, stories stick in my mind (and appear in this column) many decades after they have actually happened.

This incident occurred about 15 years ago on a pleasant trip to the island of Bermuda. After a day of sun and fun we returned to our hotel room about 4:30 in the afternoon. We planned to relax before going out to supper.

As we entered the hotel room we noticed that the "little red light" on the telephone kept blinking. I picked up the phone and was told that my dental office had called me and there was a case of an emergency, back at my office in Queens.

My nurse informed me that a patient whom I had delivered a set of upper bridgework before I left, claimed her speech "sounded funny." I immediately called the woman and in a clear, perfectly stated manner, she told me she could not speak properly. I replied, in all honesty, that she sounded fine and was exactly perfect in her speech.

I then handed the phone to my wife Lorraine, who is a speech pathologist. She listened to the patient and declared that she detected nothing out of order. It ended with the guarantee that I would adjust the dentition on my return from Bermuda. The woman was satisfied and when I returned home the situation was solved with a minor adjustment.

However, I was traumatized by receiving an emergency phone call while on vacation in a foreign country.

The next day upon entering the room at the same hour as the day before, that "little red light" was blinking again. Cautiously I removed the phone speaker and learned my favorite stockbroker was calling me. It seemed the balance on my margin account had slipped below the acceptable figure and he would have to sell stock to rectify my position. I stated the obvious, "Do what you have to do!" which he did and quickly restored me to being a good citizen.

After these two experiences with that "little red light" I entered my room very cautiously and with great trepidation.

What message would spring out on me next?

I asked my wife to check the phone before I would walk into the room. She then gave the "all clear" signal and I entered sheepishly.

To this day I am still very unhappy when I see that "little red light" blink on and off while on vacation.