So damn hot...how you Southern folks survive humidity and heat? You paying back dues from some other lifetime? 97 and the humidity way up. We just open all the windows and pray. A breeze. The wing of a bird. I don't care. Anything cool. The tail of a comet. Please come by.
People are different when it's hot. She pulled up the drive and left little Antonio at our house, as if to say, take 'em, I don't need him, I'll be back when I'm back.
"I guess I better go out and at least wave her off." He said.
"OK". Made sense. His mom needed to know everything was A-OK here. Sure. Them bodies got buried years ago.
I made a mad man's pack with them, the little hellions; let me lay my head upon soft pillow for a wee time, a handful of minutes, please not to kill each other: could they do that? Could I take a nap?
You bet they could. I laid down. I tossed to the other side. Again. My eyes were closed. It was hot. I got up. Opened the door back into the fray. Who was I kidding?
They'd taken over the computer and were playing Tonka trucks on it.
"I hate that man's voice". Antonio told me.
'That's your working buddy, your Tonka pal; you can't hate him."
He did have a habit of making every thing seem like a fresh cleaned sink. "I'm your Construction Pal, I'm here to help." His helmet gleamed.
"I never liked him," I told Antonio.
The littlest guy wanted to play the game, the older kids left, hopping downstairs to the X Box. I was a revolutionary in this small mining town. Sailed past Play Station and all vestige of good and clean and went straight to fun. There be Dragons down there.
Now, Keith had spied a toy carbine at the little store that shot missiles, just like Hezbollolah. He wanted it bad. It was only a buck twenty five.
"If you can pee in the toilet the whole day, and not in your pants, I'll get it for you." Man, was he ever excited. He could do it, too. Just wait.
They had fun. A half hour went by.
Keith got down from my computer chair suddenly.
"All through playing?" I asked him. I could go on-line again.
"Yep."
Both our eyes sort of hit the chair at the same time, the black wet stain very bold and stand out. I looked into his eyes, eyes that were about to crumble, and I swallowed my anger in an instant and said;
"Well, better get a towel. We'll have to clean it up."
Trav started to hoot but I shushed him. 'Don't tell Antonio," I said. No sense telling our star, our guest about it and embaressing Keith.
Keith and I pushed towels into the stain. Didn't do much good.
"Better put a towel down there to sit, dad." He told me.
No biggie. Later on the steps, we were walking down together after his change of clothes and I said, "There's always tomorow."
"But I wanted it today."
"I know you did."
The sky was grey, the air was grey; it looked like a black and white photograph. We were living in black and white. I wish the sky would hurry up and either rain and get going out of here, blow; go.
There was a squabble of sorts down below. I yelled through a window:
"What's going on, Carter?"
"Antonio broke an XBox controller."
Wow. That was big. We'd just bought two more to replace other broken controls.
"How did it happen?" I asked the bunch of them, all assembled on the concrete slab below the house.
"He just got wild, dad, and starting hitting, and then pulled the cord." Carter told me.
"Is that true, Antonio?"
"Yes Sir." He said it evenly.
"OK. Time to go home. Head to Blue Truck." It was time anyway, He'd been playing for four hours. They all piled in. I tried to dodge the worst dirt clods as I headed down the hill in the truck.
"Now, Antonio, we like you, we really do, but we don't want you running around our house breaking things. I just bought those controllers."
I turned my head and made eye contact.
"Is this a thing?" I asked. "Do I have to go around wondering what Antonio is gonna do, is he going to go crazy? Break our stuff?"
I looked him over again.
"Do I have to devote a part of my brain to this task? Is that it? You really want a part of my brain?"
Now, the last thing Antonio wanted was a part of spooky munk's brain flying around and watching him.
"No Sir."
"OK. We'll see you soon. These things happen."
As I drove away I asked my son a question.
'You think he'll tell his momma he broke the controller?"
"No way." Carter said.
He waited.
"Are you going to call her?"
"Nope."
"Why not?"
"Because then he'd get punished and forgiven. I don't want him even-up. I want him to be careful with our stuff. Maybe he will be next time."
You never know.
munk
People are different when it's hot. She pulled up the drive and left little Antonio at our house, as if to say, take 'em, I don't need him, I'll be back when I'm back.
"I guess I better go out and at least wave her off." He said.
"OK". Made sense. His mom needed to know everything was A-OK here. Sure. Them bodies got buried years ago.
I made a mad man's pack with them, the little hellions; let me lay my head upon soft pillow for a wee time, a handful of minutes, please not to kill each other: could they do that? Could I take a nap?
You bet they could. I laid down. I tossed to the other side. Again. My eyes were closed. It was hot. I got up. Opened the door back into the fray. Who was I kidding?
They'd taken over the computer and were playing Tonka trucks on it.
"I hate that man's voice". Antonio told me.
'That's your working buddy, your Tonka pal; you can't hate him."
He did have a habit of making every thing seem like a fresh cleaned sink. "I'm your Construction Pal, I'm here to help." His helmet gleamed.
"I never liked him," I told Antonio.
The littlest guy wanted to play the game, the older kids left, hopping downstairs to the X Box. I was a revolutionary in this small mining town. Sailed past Play Station and all vestige of good and clean and went straight to fun. There be Dragons down there.
Now, Keith had spied a toy carbine at the little store that shot missiles, just like Hezbollolah. He wanted it bad. It was only a buck twenty five.
"If you can pee in the toilet the whole day, and not in your pants, I'll get it for you." Man, was he ever excited. He could do it, too. Just wait.
They had fun. A half hour went by.
Keith got down from my computer chair suddenly.
"All through playing?" I asked him. I could go on-line again.
"Yep."
Both our eyes sort of hit the chair at the same time, the black wet stain very bold and stand out. I looked into his eyes, eyes that were about to crumble, and I swallowed my anger in an instant and said;
"Well, better get a towel. We'll have to clean it up."
Trav started to hoot but I shushed him. 'Don't tell Antonio," I said. No sense telling our star, our guest about it and embaressing Keith.
Keith and I pushed towels into the stain. Didn't do much good.
"Better put a towel down there to sit, dad." He told me.
No biggie. Later on the steps, we were walking down together after his change of clothes and I said, "There's always tomorow."
"But I wanted it today."
"I know you did."
The sky was grey, the air was grey; it looked like a black and white photograph. We were living in black and white. I wish the sky would hurry up and either rain and get going out of here, blow; go.
There was a squabble of sorts down below. I yelled through a window:
"What's going on, Carter?"
"Antonio broke an XBox controller."
Wow. That was big. We'd just bought two more to replace other broken controls.
"How did it happen?" I asked the bunch of them, all assembled on the concrete slab below the house.
"He just got wild, dad, and starting hitting, and then pulled the cord." Carter told me.
"Is that true, Antonio?"
"Yes Sir." He said it evenly.
"OK. Time to go home. Head to Blue Truck." It was time anyway, He'd been playing for four hours. They all piled in. I tried to dodge the worst dirt clods as I headed down the hill in the truck.
"Now, Antonio, we like you, we really do, but we don't want you running around our house breaking things. I just bought those controllers."
I turned my head and made eye contact.
"Is this a thing?" I asked. "Do I have to go around wondering what Antonio is gonna do, is he going to go crazy? Break our stuff?"
I looked him over again.
"Do I have to devote a part of my brain to this task? Is that it? You really want a part of my brain?"
Now, the last thing Antonio wanted was a part of spooky munk's brain flying around and watching him.
"No Sir."
"OK. We'll see you soon. These things happen."
As I drove away I asked my son a question.
'You think he'll tell his momma he broke the controller?"
"No way." Carter said.
He waited.
"Are you going to call her?"
"Nope."
"Why not?"
"Because then he'd get punished and forgiven. I don't want him even-up. I want him to be careful with our stuff. Maybe he will be next time."
You never know.
munk
"
