When I'm gone, will all utilities and the phone company and Cablevision remember me?

We have been together, here on Long Island, for over 40 years. Will they drop a kind note to my family or even a Hallmark card, saying how much they missed me? Will they remark that my payments were always on time and only on rare occasions just a day or two late?

How soon would they forget?

I truly believe I deserve a gold inscribed pocket watch for all my years of loyal and devoted payments and superior bill paying. I could flip that old pocket watch out of the waist-band on my pants and read the time out loud just to show the gift of my adoring friends, the utilities, the phone company and Cablevision.

I sincerely doubt that I will ever get that watch or ever get any recognition from those people.

I have watched each of them struggle over the last 40 years. LIPA used to be LILCO and I stood side by side with them through the whole bloody Shoreham fiasco. When Keyspan took them over I remained a true and faithful user.

When the phone companies started "slamming" each other I stayed with them. The hundreds of phone calls I received asking me to switch, I ignored. When they switched me to another company without my permission, I rebelled and returned to my original phone company. Sheer loyalty!

When Cablevision supplied me with a blank television screen just before the big-game did I get angry? No - I just called and reminded them gently, I was very disappointed. When those people with a "dish" called and wanted to attach a dish from my roof, to receive 4,000 channels at one-third the price, did I switch? Not on your life! I was constant!

I now ask the question again.

Will they remember such allegiance when I'm gone?

Am I irreplaceable?

Probably not!