Monday, September 28, 2009

A Toy Named Earl

They walked in the back door laughing, my thirteen year old who will be taller than me by the end of the school year and his little sister who's gaining on me every day.

Ladies Man: What did you do with it?

Miss Innocent One: It's got a huge whole in the side.

All kinds of laughter and chattering erupted.

Me: What's so funny?

Miss Innocent One: We found this toy outside a few days ago and decided to name it Earl. We've been having lots of fun with it, doing all kinds of tricks with it. But it's getting kind of worn out.

Me: Earl? What kind of toy is Earl?

Miss Innocent One: Oh, it's just a plastic bag we found blowing down the street.

A plastic bag named Earl.

Keep in mind these kids are 13 and 11. Who says this generation screams for high-tech entertainment? Playing with a plastic bag for a few days is just about as old-fashioned as playing with a stick, isn't it?

Unfortunately, about the time I was aware of Earl, he met his demise. Ladies Man took the matter into his own hands.

Miss Innocent One: What did you do with Earl?

Ladies Man: I put him in a happy place.

Miss Innocent One: Where?

Ladies Man: In the trash.

May Earl rest in peace. Next time you go to Walmart, tell his cousins hello.

2 comments:

Jaime Kubik said...

Loved this! Thanks for sharing...and by the way, I went to the store this morning and told Earl's cousin how sad I was to hear of Earl's passing! :-)

Brenda said...

You might want to make sure the Ladies Man is not allowed to make any of your funeral plans when the time comes.