A woman sits in a doctor’s waiting room, pretending to read a magazine while everyone else glares; her purse on the floor glows or vibrates violently as sound waves radiate from it.

Woman Pretends Not to Hear Phone Screaming Like a Fire Alarm for Full Minute in Doctor's Waiting Room

COLUMBUS, OH — Patients awaiting their appointments were treated to an unplanned soundscape Tuesday when a woman’s phone erupted with a ringtone described by witnesses as “somewhere between a car alarm and a wounded smoke detector.” Despite the piercing sound filling the room, the woman in question appeared committed to her performance of complete ignorance. She continued flipping through a six-month-old People magazine, eyes locked on an article about Ben Affleck’s coffee habits, while her phone blared from deep within her purse. ...

October 14, 2025 · 2 min · 239 words · Editor-in-chief, Grove City Growler