The Light and Shadows of Information Technology
Please, read my life story first, then you will understand my words.
That Jet Pilot I Married
The magical spring was almost at the end of its strength, and we were slowly getting used to the warmer days the coming summer promised.
On a pleasant Sunday morning, I awoke to the smell of blossoming shrubs and flowers. In a flash, I searched my memory for what I had planned for today. A relaxing day was waiting for me, and in the afternoon my cousin Rudy was supposed to visit us. I made some snacks with my mother, who was a chef by profession, and I must admit she baked and cooked some delicious food. I remember watching her cook many times when I was in the kitchen talking to her. So I did everything necessary, and then I devoted myself to my interests.
When a motorcycle rattled into the front yard that afternoon, I knew it would be none other than the aforementioned visit because my cousin was obsessed with motorcycles. As far as I could tell, he didn’t come alone and had taken his brother with him. When Stefan and Rudy were with us, we always had fun, and so we did that afternoon. There was laughter and a cheerful debate in the living room. This was somewhat disturbed by the feeling that one of my cousins, elder Rudolf, had actually come to say goodbye to us because he was entering basic military service. This was mandatory at the time. His start had been delayed by his illness, so he was leaving now.
“Well, don’t forget to write or call us. My mother always picks up the home phone, and she’ll overwhelm you with a lot of questions. Afterwards, she’ll call me to get the phone,” I replied, smiling, and I immediately received an answer.
“I will definitely not forget about you. I was planning to say the same, but what I really wanted to ask you is, would you mind giving me some of your photos? Since I don’t have a girlfriend, I will at least be happy to read letters from you,” he looked at me, and his wish was granted.
***
It looked as if my cousin, Rudy, was enjoying his new home very much. He was supposed to spend the following year because serving at a military airbase was very different from serving at bases without fighter jets. A surge of adrenaline filled the veins not only of the pilots but also of those who worked there and watched the pilots’ training, their takeoff, maneuvering, and landing.
Today, Rudy came to work as usual. He was feeling well when he realized how fast the time was running by, mainly because there were good people around and a friendly atmosphere.
His first stop was the building where he was sometimes sent to help young pilots into their special overalls. He laced everything up as tight as the pilot needed, checked his boots, and checked his helmet. He especially liked talking to one of the pilots because this young man was born near my cousin’s home. Thus, he was pleased to see him this morning and was supposed to assist him. A young pilot seemed to be putting on his overalls and greeting my cousin when he asked, “So Rudy, how are things? Are you still homesick?”
“Well, you know, I’m looking forward to returning home, but I’m convinced that I will miss this piece of land with nice pilots,” Rudy smiled and helped the pilot with his pressure overalls. As they worked together, after a while the pilot was ready to walk to his cockpit. Rudy wanted to be sure that everything was OK. Therefore, he bent forward for the last time to check that the pilot’s boots and cords were properly fastened. At that moment, some documents with photos, including the one I had given him, had fallen out of the chest pocket of his jacket.
A young pilot walking slowly out of the room, holding his helmet under his arm, saw what had happened, bent down, and picked up my photo, stating: “Well, I can tell you, you have a very pretty girlfriend!” He nodded, eyeing the photo of a young, smiling girl with long light honey hair, and handed it to Rudy.
“She’s not my girlfriend; she’s my cousin,” Rudy replied quickly, bending down to pick up the other things that were still lying on the ground.
“Hmm, come on! Today, girlfriend is not a girlfriend, so we call her cousin? You don’t have to hide anything from me!” the young pilot laughed and joked.
“No, no, seriously, I’m not hiding anything from you. This is my cousin, Erika, who gave me the photo because I asked for it and I also wanted her to write to me from time to time, so I didn’t feel so lonely here.”
“Does your cousin Erika have a boyfriend? How old is she? Where does she live and what does she do for a living, or is she still studying?” the young pilot literally bombarded Rudy with his questions.
“To my knowledge, Erika does not have a boyfriend. She studied fashion and now works for a fashion company. I think she celebrated her 19th birthday,” Rudy replied, looking at his watch and adding, “You should hurry or you’ll be late. The control tower is already waiting for you to take off.”
“Well, you said she wasn’t your girlfriend, am I right? Can I have her picture? I’d like to write to her! And can you write her address on the back of her photo?” He was flooding my cousin with questions again, and Rudy was looking at the pilot with his mouth open because, as soon as he wanted to say something, he got another question right away, so he was embarrassed.
“Well, don’t stand here! Did you get frozen? If you have a pencil or pen, please write down the address, because I need to run and jump into my machine!” The young pilot felt nervous.
“Just go, go ahead. Everything will be waiting for you,” Rudy said quickly as he opened the door for the young jet pilot who was going to do his regular drill that day.
***
The days jumped forward, and there was a weekend in front of me again. I had been looking forward to my quiet time to think about my latest fashion design and to work on new patterns. On the first floor of our family home, I was sitting behind the desk in my room when I heard the home phone ring. There was no need to run and answer the phone there. My mom was skilled in this field. She was a person who had to know everything that was going on. Therefore, I stayed calm when I heard her talking to someone on the other end of the wire. After a while, however, my name rang out via air. This meant that my mother had already found out everything she needed about the person who was calling and was ready to call me on the phone. Well, I’m making a bit of fun of it, but it actually worked that way.
“This is Rudy, and he wants to talk to you,” my mom said, shoving the phone into my hand.
“Hello, distant cousin! How are you doing? I’m sorry to ask you again, but I’m sure my mother has already interviewed you and didn’t share it with me.” I began with a funny joke.
“I’m fine. Time is running out, which is nice, but I have to speak to you about something,” he said, with nervousness in his voice.
“What happened? Are you okay?” I asked, and then I listened to his story, which was long. I stood there quietly for quite a while, so my mom came to check on me.
“Are you still here talking to Rudy?” she asked. “Yes, I’m here listening to his life flowing there,” I answered my mother, but I didn’t know why my cousin was calling.
“So, I hope you’re not mad at me for that. You know he’s a decent young pilot and he looks very handsome,” my cousin described the man, to whom he gave my address and a photo, and now I should have been prepared to get some letter from him.
“It is possible he will change his mind and not write,” I said. “But a pilot like him can be able to find some beautiful girls without writing. It is not my intention to be mad at you for that. If you do not mind and you do not have anything else to say, I would like to continue to work in my room. This is because I am trying to figure out new patterns.”
“Oh, you girl you go, I am so glad you’re not mad at me, so I’ll call you next week and you tell me how everything is working there?” Rudy asked.
“You know I’ll let you know, but I don’t think there is much to discuss with that pilot, since he was probably just playing with you. Anyway, stay safe Rudy and think positively, so talk to you soon.” I finished our conversation and I was not concerned about it anymore, as there were other things to take care of.
It was just three days ago that I had that phone conversation with my cousin. A letter from the same town where Rudy was stationed was lying on my desk. When I opened it, I could read:
“Greetings to you. We are not acquainted yet, but if you finish reading this letter– by the way, Rudy said, you are very patient, so if you are able to read to the end of my letter, you will find out more about me than what your cousin has told you so far. So, at the very beginning, I will introduce myself to you.”
In neat handwriting that showed the person had spent years at his desk, writing and solving assignments, I stopped reading for a moment. I tried to imagine all those young men who wanted to become pilots, and realized that mathematics, physics, and aerodynamics had to be just a toy for them. Sometimes I had to laugh so hard when I read the lines again. I had to admit that the writer had a really good sense of humor as well.
As I wrote back, I thanked him for a new friendship, as I knew nothing else could happen from our long-distance correspondence, as for a young pilot as he is, my letters can only fill the days when he has nothing else to do on the show.
***
I will skip almost a year, during which we continued to exchange letters in a casual manner. I received a letter once a month, and I, in turn, responded, adding humor to my writing. Soon, our correspondence was complemented by phone calls. At that time, the calls were made from the home phone. Although I did not see my future with this young pilot, I was very happy to receive any letter from him. I kept telling myself that I did not belong to his world.
It was an evening when we were already after dinner when the home phone started ringing, and everyone knew right away that my mom would take care of it.
“Erika, it’s for you!” my mom called, handing me the phone, but somehow she didn’t want to leave, so my answers were very short, such as: yes, no, yes.
“Did something happen that you can’t talk properly?” the counterpart asked on the other side, and I immediately replied quite loudly and provocatively, “yes, my mom is here, who somehow doesn’t want to give me a moment of privacy.” I started laughing, and mom stopped cleaning and shook her head. After I said that, the young pilot started laughing tremendously and added: “so say hello to your mom from me and ask her to give us some privacy.” Fortunately, mom knew it was time to leave, and she did so.
“Erika, can you answer my question?” the young man began, seriously questioning me. “It’s been over a year, and you never asked me to send you my picture. Tell me why you didn’t want to see how I look like?” There was a moment of silence, and I searched for the right words to best explain everything.
“Well, my cousin said that you are a very handsome young man and also a pilot, which means that you can have ten girls on each of your fingers if you want, so I’m so grateful at least for your friendship. Clearly, I am a family girl, and I like to dress nicely because it’s my profession. However, I also enjoy embroidery, knitting, hiking, ice skating, and other outdoor activities, as well as animal care and helping people. I enjoy discovering new fashion patterns and figuring out what women like to wear. That’s pretty much about my personality, so I guess you’re looking for something else…, ehm, but I really value your friendship.” I bit my lip and was satisfied with my answer because I was honest and all I had said was the truth.
I heard him reply: “But I think you have a very kind personality.” “Well, if you want to see how I look like, you can buy the magazine ‘The World’, and in the middle of the magazine there is a double-page where there is an interview with me.”
“Oh, thanks a lot, I’ll definitely do that, I promise,” I was so happy that he was not mad at me.
“And what have you been doing recently, Erika? I was talking and talking a lot, and now I’m pretty sure it’s your turn,” the young man replied.
“What I was doing recently? I was just thinking about buying myself a small aquarium, one goldfish in a round glass, but shortly after my deep thoughts I decided not to do it.”
“And why?” he asked, smiling from the other side.
“You know, seeing her constantly swimming around and around like a merry-go-round, she can get crazy, and what am I supposed to do with such a silly fish?” I had to keep my phone away from my ear and let this young man laugh out loud until the end.
“I love your sense of humor. I really do. I want you to buy that magazine and write me a letter soon. I may get it later since I will be TDW, which means (Temporarily Duty Way) off from the airbase.”
On my way to work, I passed a newsstand every morning, where I bought a magazine from time to time. The magazine ‘World,’ which the young pilot talked about, was published once a week, so I kept an eye on it to make sure I didn’t miss it.
Finally, there was a day when I had the magazine in my hand and was able to learn more about this young and talented man. The two pages of the magazine on which a handsome young jet pilot, dressed
in a military suit, smiled at me while he held his helmet under his arm and leant against the cockpit were in front of me. I smiled back at the photo and began to read through a long article that praised this young pilot. I felt a mix of emotions, and I held my breath for a while, not knowing what to say. However, I knew that this man was a friend of mine with whom I was exchanging letters, calling on the phone, and generally having a great time. As soon as I came to work, I put the magazine on the desk, and finally I could tell my friends and co-workers something more.
“In the middle of the magazine, there is a page where you can see the young man I correspond with.”
“You mean the one you said you didn’t have a picture of?” Anna asked, leaving the rest of the room to see the photo as soon as possible.
“Oh My Gosh, Oh My Gosh!”, she yelled, disturbing everyone who was there.
A group of girls handed the magazine from hand to hand, and Anna made a reprimanding note, looking at me straight in the eye.
“What do you really think of yourself? Not asking him for a photo is actually an insult! She shook my shoulders, and everyone laughed. “Write to him right now and let him know I’m free. I want every photo of him, and I will also send him a thousand photos of me.”
“Yes, he seems to be a decent young and well-mannered man, but I think he’s in a different sphere than me,” I sighed.
“Of course, he’s in a different sphere than you because he’s a pilot,” Anna began to joke, and we all laughed.
“I am reading here that his airbase is only an hour away from where our next fashion show will be.” The voice was heard somewhere in the back from Andrea, who was waving the magazine in the air.
“That’s fantastic. You should write to him, and he may come over to see you,” Anna suggested.
“I don’t think this is a smart idea after seeing his picture because he’ll believe I am eager to see him or that I intend to hunt him. I need to think about this.”
“Girls, girls, what’s going on here? Is the brand-new model ready? The customer will be here soon!” The whole cheerful atmosphere was cut off by the manager’s call, and so everyone moved to their places.
And the day came again when I received a very thoughtful letter from this man.
“Hi, Erika, I’m writing from a remote airbase, and I do believe you will receive my letter without delay, but one never knows. In addition, I also believe that you have already seen a photo of someone who is writing to you and enjoys chatting with you via phone. This is because those moments with you give me a great deal of pleasure and relaxation. I think we’ve known each other long enough for us to see each other in person and have lunch or dinner together. What do you think, Erika? You have never asked me to meet you or to take you for dinner. You have never asked me to spend time with you. I really want to meet you! My pilot buddies saw your photo and they love it! They were asking for a long time about you because they knew I was writing to you. As soon as this mess ends and I return to the main airbase, then I’ll call you. In this letter, you can read some of my thoughts and what I was doing recently…”
My female friends and co-workers seemed more excited than I was when they found out that after the fashion show I was planning to travel 1 more hour to meet that young pilot, who apologized for not being able to come to see me at the fashion show due to his work, but he promised he would be waiting for me at the train station after the whole fashion event. However, I was looking forward to meeting this man in person, and even though this is just going to be a friendship, I would be happy to do so.
The closer I got to the place where I was supposed to get off, the more excited I got. When the train stopped, I made sure I was at the right station and stepped out. I walked into the building where I hoped to see the young pilot who was supposed to wait for me there. There were a lot of people inside the station hall, but no one was looking for me. Since I thought he would arrive in a few minutes, I stayed there for about 30 minutes. I decided to walk out of the building, assuming I would find a taxi. One was standing outside, so I asked the driver if he could take my order. He nodded, which meant he was free, so I told him to get to Polabiny.
It only took 5 or 7 minutes, and we were on the spot. I looked at the building number to be sure I was right, then I quickly looked at the address from the letter he sent me to do a double-check.
“Please wait,” I asked the taxi driver, then I went to the building to find which floor his apartment was on by looking at the mailbox numbers. I called for the elevator, and after a few seconds, I was standing in front of his apartment. I rang the doorbell, but no one answered. I decided to leave a note saying I was there. I was about to slip it under the door when I suddenly heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and then a woman spoke to me.
“You probably want to speak with the pilot, aren’t you? I’m Ms. Dedeckova, who lives above him,” explained the woman, who looked to be in her 60s. She waited for me to respond.
“Oh, good afternoon, Ms. Dedeckova. Thanks a lot for letting me know. Yes, you’re right. I was looking for that man because we were supposed to meet at the train station, but unfortunately, he didn’t show up,” I explained.
“I saw from the window that a taxi is waiting for you downstairs. This young military jet pilot had to leave suddenly because his alarm box was terribly yelling, which means they have a military drill.”
“Oh, that explains everything! Thank you very much for letting me know.”
I walked to the taxi, and when I got inside, I told the driver everything and said I didn’t know what to do – go to the airbase or go back home.
“But dear Miss, this young boy wanted to meet you, which means it’s not his fault, so I suggest driving to the airport, right?” The driver nodded, smiled nicely at me, and waited for my positive answer. I nodded back and said, “right.”
When I got out of the taxi, I had three dresses hanging on my forearm. These were the models I was performing that day at the fashion show, and I had to carry them because they were my models.
“I wish you good luck, charming Miss, and I hope to see you again,” the driver said to me as I gave him the ‘royal tip’.
Very soon, I was standing on unfamiliar ground. My cousin, Rudy, was already home from his military service. I looked around, took a deep breath, and headed for the gate to the small house. There, the guard checked anyone who wanted to enter the air force area.
“Hello, I am looking for a young man…” I began, explaining briefly.
“Oh, I see,” answered the young man who was serving there that day, stepping out of the small house to look at me, smiling nicely, and pointing to the sky with his index finger. He added, “So the one you’re looking for is right there and will land in 15 minutes.” Oh, man, this dude is a devil in the sky. I really like him! So, if you want to wait for him, please go straight ahead, then turn right. There is a military park with benches where you can sit and wait. I’ll let him know that he has a visitor here.”
“Thank you very much. I will do that.”
I put all my luggage and the fashion models on the bench and started to read a fashion magazine I had bought on my way there. I didn’t even realize how fast time was running away until suddenly someone called my name from behind.
“Erika? Is that you?’ I heard a man’s voice, so I turned around. In front of my eyes were the green-gray eyes of the pilot, a handsome young man with dark hair I had been writing to and exchanging letters with for those long months—almost two years—and from whom I had not asked for a photo. I stood up and felt my knees start to buckle. I felt butterflies in my stomach. He smiled mischievously at me, and his pilot’s overalls suited him very well, along with the helmet he held under his arm.
“Erika, you actually look different,” the young man began, and I had no idea what he meant, so I got confused. Then he explained.
“You look gorgeous!” he said as he hugged me.
“Oh, thanks a lot for your compliment. I appreciate it!”
“Don’t thank me because you deserve it,” he replied, and immediately continued, “I’ll have to take off again. I’m sorry about that. I got just 10 minutes’ break, and then I have to jump into the cockpit. They just whistled an exercise for us.”
“No worries. I understand. I’ll be fine,” I assured him.
“I don’t want you to leave, Erika,” he looked at me thoughtfully, and in his gray-green eyes I could sense his deep desire to wait for him.
“Well, tell me what I am supposed to do. I am listening.” The young man was searching for something for a while, still looking at me. With his left hand, he put a strand of my hair back in place.
“I want you to wait for me. Here is a key to my apartment. I want to be with you, talk to you, or take you for dinner, but I am not sure how long they will keep us here. Erika, I was waiting for this moment so long. Please don’t go home right away!” He held my hands.
“But I can’t do that. This is your apartment with your personal things and… and…” I wanted to continue my explanation when suddenly his finger silenced me.
“Don’t be worried about anything. I do trust you. Due to your long and beautiful letters, I think I’ve known you for years. There is a bus stop nearby. You can take bus number 24 to Polabiny, and I am sure you were already there when you were looking for me. The place he was talking about was really close.
“The way I see it, he started, „the next bus will be here in 10 minutes. I’d like to wait here with you, but you already know what’s going on. You can sit on the bench and wait,” he suggested. Taking a quick glance at the bench, my body language gave away my statement. He also looked at the bench to see what was wrong.
“I see,” he understood immediately what I was referring to. In his flight overalls, he sat down at one end of the bench and moved swiftly to the other end, wiping the dust off the bench. Then he rose quickly, dusted off the dirt on his pants, and joined in my laughter, which I could not hold. I replied, “Thank you, but I’d rather stand.” Suddenly, I felt his second hug and saw him running back to the airbase area to take his order.
***
When I opened his apartment, I carefully looked around to see where to put my luggage and my dress models. A military uniform was hung on an armchair in the living room. I walked into the bathroom and found it neat and organized. I opened the refrigerator to get some water, but there was almost nothing inside, except for one bottle of white wine on the door shelf.
“Hmm, I guess I should do some shopping if I want to survive,” I laughed cheerfully, then added, “but where?” I looked outside each of his windows, thinking, when I saw a building across the street that was really nearby and looked like a grocery store. “Well, I am willing to check this out. If nothing else, it will be a pleasant walk over there.” I encouraged myself. I left for shopping, and as I got outside, right in front of the house, I met Ms. Dedeckova again. It was evident that she could not miss anything that was unfolding outside, inside, or anywhere. I smiled at her and immediately made her feel important by asking her if the building on the other side of the road was a grocery.
“Oh, yes, it is a very well-equipped grocery store. You will find everything you need there. I’m glad you didn’t leave right away, so you found him this young pilot, am I right?”
“Yes, I found him, and he is still at the airbase. Thank you for your help. Now I have to run to buy something, so have a pleasant rest of your day.
Afterwards, I was sitting on the sofa reading the magazine when the doorbell rang, and my first thought was: “Ms. Dedeckova?! “Of course not!” I immediately realized that the handsome pilot did not have his keys, so I opened the door.
“Hi, do I know you?” I smiled. “I don’t know if I should let you in.” I made a funny remark and opened the door wide.
“Well, let me introduce myself…” he smiled back at me and got in, then he took a deep breath and asked, “Did you cook?”
“Yes, I did, but I’m not sure if you’ll like it.” He walked directly to the kitchen, grabbed a spoon, and began tasting everything.
“That’s delicious! Yum!” he said and took another bite.
“Ehm, I think I saw you have plates here.” I gave him a gentle hint that he didn’t have to eat from the pot, and I added, “I think I made it a lot. You will have it for three days, but it stays delicious if you keep it in the refrigerator.”
“Yes, Ma’am, I will!” he replied, looking for a plate and smiling.
“Oh, stop goofing around. Can you be serious for a while?” I asked with a smile, slightly slapping him on the chest.
“I can do that too,” he looked into my eyes, trying to read something from them for a while, holding me around my waist, then gave me a nice deep kiss and repeated it by saying: “Erika, I’m so happy you’re here…
***
“You look different,” I said to my ‘tour guide’ in the morning, who had changed out of his dark blue military uniform into jeans and a T-shirt and was holding my hand while showing me the nearby town. As I smiled at him, I gave him a polite bow to let him know I liked how he was dressed.
“That’s my favorite outfit, you know, men like simple stuff,” he smiled at me and pressed my hand…
***
Later, when we were newlyweds, we watched “Top Gun” together, and I asked him not to make any comments about it, since it was just a movie. It became one of my favorites, along with the beautiful music.
***
***
Well, we live in an era of unprecedented scientific and technological advancement. The rise of the Internet, smartphones, e-commerce, and instant global communication has transformed the world, delivering extraordinary benefits—particularly to entrepreneurs and businesses. Information now travels at the speed of light: natural disasters are reported in real time, enabling people to prepare and protect themselves; cultures once distant are now accessible in vivid detail; students conduct research from home without spending endless hours in libraries. This is the radiant side of information technology—a brilliant light that continues to illuminate and enrich society.
Yet every bright light casts a shadow.
That shadow falls directly in front of us, growing longer the closer we move toward the source. For many, technology has quietly invaded privacy, eroded genuine human connection, and inflicted deep wounds on families and relationships.
I know this shadow intimately.
Before mobile phones and constant connectivity, my marriage of thirty years was grounded in presence, conversation, and shared moments. The arrival of smartphones changed everything. What began as a useful tool gradually became the third presence in our home—and eventually the most important one. Messages were answered instantly, smiles appeared on screens while faces across the dinner table were ignored, and private conversations moved outdoors, away from me.
I continued fulfilling my traditional roles—cooking, ironing, organizing our life—while my husband retreated deeper into the glow of his device. Over time, the emotional distance became unbearable. Rather than remain in a hollow marriage, I chose divorce. It was not born of hatred or bitterness; it was an act of self-preservation. We parted amicably, divided our property fairly, and I walked away with my dignity intact. I harbor no resentment toward him—only quiet sadness for what was lost.
The divorce did not break me; it liberated me.
Freed from distress, I turned inward. I had always avoided alcohol, drugs, or any form of escape. Instead, I listened to a voice from long ago—my teacher’s words echoing through the years: “Erika, you should write. I love your stories.” One day I sat at the computer, unsure how to begin, and somehow produced the first page. That page became a chapter, then a 450-page novel, and eventually an entire five-volume literary series, The Power of the Wellndburgs’ Swords, now published in Europe and the United States.
Those decades spent raising a family, supporting my husband’s military career, and moving from base to base had delayed my dream—but they had also deepened it. When the marriage ended peacefully, I believe the absence of anger wounded my former husband more than any accusation ever could have. For me, it brought peace, time, and profound joy.
Today, as a published author, I share my story not out of bitterness, but as a gentle warning to corporations that celebrate endless connectivity and to individuals who have become chained to their screens: pause and consider what truly matters.
Business or family?
Success or intimacy?
Profit or presence?
(A part of my biography – all rights reserved©)
-Erika P. Hamlet