On the way out, she pauses in the doorway.
“Remember we have the guys coming next Wednesday to look at the basement.”
“Yeah, OK,” I say somewhat absently.
“No, seriously,” my wife continues “You were great about cleaning out the garage.”
“Thanks,” I said, knowing where this was going.
“Now I just need you to keep up that momentum.”
She can’t resist that little bit of nagging mixed in with the praise.
“Yeah, I’m on it.”
With that, she’s gone.
I contemplate smoking the last of that joint that Tom brought, but know that if I do, my day will be sucked under by watching Joe Rogan on Youtube.
I get most of the stuff in the actual ‘TV Room’ organized.
Sitting under a layer of dust is Tom’s old game console.
I text him.
The Playstation? Still want it?
A couple seconds later he replies.
No thanks.
So now I’m in a quandary.
If he doesn’t want it, do I?
How are things? I ask.
I haven’t talked to him in a while.
The text comes back.
Busy…
For what seems like a full minute, the phone says he’s typing something, then it disappears, then starts again.
Yeah…busy.
I wonder what he was about to write.
I could call him and ask but I get this feeling that’s not something I’d want to get into over the phone.
So, now I have a Playstation that might or might not work.
And the games… about a dozen of them.
And while I have no desire to play them, it seems like a shame to throw them out.
I doubt the kids down the block want them.
To them, I imagine these games are ancient.
I remember him having more, but I also remember him taking the bus to the mall then coming back all excited about some new game.
I suspect he was trading them in at some exorbitant rate to get a new game.
Still, among the dozen here are some that I remember.
League of Heroes ‘15.
That was the one set in Greek Mythology, if I remember correctly.
I’m still reading when I sense something.
Looking back over my shoulder, I see Nina looking at me.
“Interesting read?”
I put the box down.
“Just…thinking about when your brother got this.”
“Long time?”
“You were six.”
“Long time, then.”
“You interested in having this?” I say, indicating the box.
Nina shakes her head.
“Not my thing.”
“What is your thing? You seem to have so many ‘things’ these days. Swimming, school play, work.”
“Swimming season was over three months ago.”
“Oh,” I say, “OK.”
“ I don’t know if I have a thing currently”
I feel bad that the same thing that happened with Tom is happening with Nina; I seem to be perpetually playing catch up with whatever they’re into at the moment.
By the time I finally got around to buying her that rainbow loom thing when she was seven, the craze had already passed.
“Remember we have the guys coming next Wednesday to look at the basement.”
“Yeah, OK,” I say somewhat absently.
“No, seriously,” my wife continues “You were great about cleaning out the garage.”
“Thanks,” I said, knowing where this was going.
“Now I just need you to keep up that momentum.”
She can’t resist that little bit of nagging mixed in with the praise.
“Yeah, I’m on it.”
With that, she’s gone.
I contemplate smoking the last of that joint that Tom brought, but know that if I do, my day will be sucked under by watching Joe Rogan on Youtube.
I get most of the stuff in the actual ‘TV Room’ organized.
Sitting under a layer of dust is Tom’s old game console.
I text him.
The Playstation? Still want it?
A couple seconds later he replies.
No thanks.
So now I’m in a quandary.
If he doesn’t want it, do I?
How are things? I ask.
I haven’t talked to him in a while.
The text comes back.
Busy…
For what seems like a full minute, the phone says he’s typing something, then it disappears, then starts again.
Yeah…busy.
I wonder what he was about to write.
I could call him and ask but I get this feeling that’s not something I’d want to get into over the phone.
So, now I have a Playstation that might or might not work.
And the games… about a dozen of them.
And while I have no desire to play them, it seems like a shame to throw them out.
I doubt the kids down the block want them.
To them, I imagine these games are ancient.
I remember him having more, but I also remember him taking the bus to the mall then coming back all excited about some new game.
I suspect he was trading them in at some exorbitant rate to get a new game.
Still, among the dozen here are some that I remember.
League of Heroes ‘15.
That was the one set in Greek Mythology, if I remember correctly.
I’m still reading when I sense something.
Looking back over my shoulder, I see Nina looking at me.
“Interesting read?”
I put the box down.
“Just…thinking about when your brother got this.”
“Long time?”
“You were six.”
“Long time, then.”
“You interested in having this?” I say, indicating the box.
Nina shakes her head.
“Not my thing.”
“What is your thing? You seem to have so many ‘things’ these days. Swimming, school play, work.”
“Swimming season was over three months ago.”
“Oh,” I say, “OK.”
“ I don’t know if I have a thing currently”
I feel bad that the same thing that happened with Tom is happening with Nina; I seem to be perpetually playing catch up with whatever they’re into at the moment.
By the time I finally got around to buying her that rainbow loom thing when she was seven, the craze had already passed.
