57. Old Homelife

A five o’clock morning, almost. About five-thirty. It was so chilly, it felt a little like January. I don’t think I ever had occasion to say that in June before. Since I felt wide awake, I decided to open all the windows and doors, wanting to take advantage of the cool air and get more of it inside the house before the sun rises.

I also had a lot on my mind. I was thinking a lot more about recollecting memories from the deep and dark past and of childhood lost, and putting them here with these ‘chapters’ on our current day-to-day life. This ‘book’ would remain very homey, although the story would now traverse more freely across time, including our old homelife, when the home was fuller and we were very young. Maybe once this gets started in earnest, the memories will come quicker and fuller, for whatever those poor memories of a trifling life may be worth. You can only write what you know.

58. Cable Guy

Pop is never going to overcome the temptation to get something for nothing. After all, a person generally does not grow in character and intelligence in one’s seventies, and we were never good growers in the first place. I just wish he could adopt the rule of hanging up the phone when salespeople call. The catch here, though, is that he loves talking to people on the phone, and I guess this is often the hook that is used to catch lonely old folks.

The prize they dangled before his eyes this time was the promise of having our Internet connection ‘turbocharged!’ At least this is something I can appreciate and enjoy, too. But it was just another ploy to get us to switch from Dish to their cable-TV service, in one of those ‘package deals’. They sweet-talked Pop well enough that he allowed a workman to come to the house, but when it became crystal clear that they want us to lose Dish, Pop was able to turn the cable guy away, albeit with a little help from me to stiffen his spine. Even in spite of all the problems we have had in recent months connecting to the satellite, Pop remains fiercely loyal to Dish.

59. The Kids

Pop left to attend a school ceremony for Becky. She made the honor roll. He said she is a “smart kid”. I easily hold back the urge to remind him that I was an honor roll kid myself.

On the subject of the kids, Pop also points out that Ronny was commended by his teacher for his proficiency in the German language. The teacher urged Ronny to pursue yet another language. Pop pointed out that Spanish is an obvious choice, living here in the southwest. But I suspect that Jack and Jill would prefer to stay away from the stigma of a colored language.

Personally, I am skeptical that Ronny, bright as he may be, is that conversant in German. How could he learn such a skill here, in his lower-class public school? In an upper-class school and with a year’s study in Germany, sure, one can see that. But I cannot truly know. Maybe his school and its language program is more impressive than I would imagine, or maybe I underestimate Ronny.

60. University of Texas

Is this a joke? The University of Texas sent me a postcard, congratulating me for the 25th anniversary of my graduation. It is too bad that they did not think to stick a twenty-dollar bill inside the card. I could have used that.

But I will probably keep the card. It does bring back the memories of when I was a rather optimistic twenty-something, still hoping to make a man 0f myself in the world. I still have a hard time believing, at forty-eight, that this is what my life has turned out to be, even though it is what I wake up to every morning, for about the last twenty-five years.