“Well, I’ve got to go—it’s my bedtime,” Ron said on the phone.
“What?” Laura, his sister, said.
“Bedtime. It’s nearly 11.”
“But it’s New Year’s Eve! You’ve stayed up until midnight every New Year's Eve since you were 13! More than 40 years, now.”
“I know. But why bother? I stayed up to see the start of the last two years. And what did 2020 and 2021 bring? COVID-19. COVID-19 restrictions. COVID-19 variants. Another absolutely awful election. Political strife. More polarization of society.”
“Good point,” Laura said.
“I figure 2022 will be more of the same. Why go out of my way to see 2022? It’ll be there in the morning.”
They said goodnight and ended the call. Laura sat thinking of what Ron said. Then, she thought of the bottle of New Year’s Eve Champagne she had in the refrigerator. “You know, he has a point,” she said to herself. “I might as well go to bed, early. A full night of sleep will probably be worth more than seeing the start of 2022. I’ll save the Champagne for a special occasion.”
“What?” Laura, his sister, said.
“Bedtime. It’s nearly 11.”
“But it’s New Year’s Eve! You’ve stayed up until midnight every New Year's Eve since you were 13! More than 40 years, now.”
“I know. But why bother? I stayed up to see the start of the last two years. And what did 2020 and 2021 bring? COVID-19. COVID-19 restrictions. COVID-19 variants. Another absolutely awful election. Political strife. More polarization of society.”
“Good point,” Laura said.
“I figure 2022 will be more of the same. Why go out of my way to see 2022? It’ll be there in the morning.”
They said goodnight and ended the call. Laura sat thinking of what Ron said. Then, she thought of the bottle of New Year’s Eve Champagne she had in the refrigerator. “You know, he has a point,” she said to herself. “I might as well go to bed, early. A full night of sleep will probably be worth more than seeing the start of 2022. I’ll save the Champagne for a special occasion.”
