I couldn’t resist, could I? I got to be back for you guys, days are empty when I don’t hear from you, sometimes just a simple hello and my worries are through! Why do I say this to you, I think I’ve a clue, it’s because I’ve friends like you. Now, my friends hop on, let’s take a ride. . .

I explained to her, “Rachel, it’s a day to remember the lost souls who were close to us.”

“Lost souls?”

“People who are dead.”

“And if we pray, they will be fine?”

“Yes, Rachel their souls will rest in peace.”

A few minutes of silence.

“But uncle Bob, I don’t know anybody who died.”

I gave her a scathing glance. After a while, I noticed from the corner of my eye, she had her eyes shut tight and I could see she was thinking hard. And suddenly I could see her lips move in prayer. At the very instant choir stopped to pin-drop silence.

And we all in the church could hear Rachel clear.

“Lord, let Poochy The Dog, rest in peace. Let Poochy be happy and nice. Hmm. . . and . . . and. . .”

I knew. Poochy The Dog is her favorite cartoon character, which died. Here she is, this little one, praying in the church for a character from her favorite sitcom.

Sounded a joke and so trivial. But innocence of a child and the ambience of the church and the omnipresence of the Lord led me to believe, maybe, you know…even Poochy would rest in peace. As Rachel demanded!

“Hey, Steve”

“Hello Bob, sample this, you are wearing a black tux and you didn’t tie the lace of your sneakers.”

“Jeez, Steve, Bingo! what’s with you?!”

“Ha! Ha! Listen more. . . you sure had cappuccino just a while ago”

“Steve, now, you are scaring me”

“Well, it would be better if you could clear the empty cup from your desk”

“Tell me now, Steve, did you invent some potion or something to go psychic. . . you’re scaring me now buddy.” Saying that I tried to test my basketball skills by trying to shoot the cup at the trash bin. There it goes. . . darn!

“You never could slam dunk, Bob, forget it.”

I missed and he knew. . . scared, I fell backwards from my chair only to drag the phone with me and well, the line went dead. But I could still hear Steve’s voice.

“Bob, be careful there, don’t break your empty head now”

Hmm. . . he could be a psychic, but a magician? I mean, the phone is dead, but I can hear his voice. . . Ah! I could see his spiked hair’s shadow now….the idiot has been standing just behind my cabin door all the time with his iPhone in hand.

In a moment I was at the door and pulled him by the ears inside. After a sound thrashing he called up everyone to recite the prank he played on me. I hear he laughed in his sleep that night when he got reminded of it. Evil pal he is. A joke at my expense, psychic? Nah! Sick, sick Steve.

She is waiting for Christmas of course. She loves to splurge and I’m pretty sure she has her eyes set on a cool dress for herself. Kids love to talk, don’t they? And they do talk to themselves and sometimes to their pet poodle too. I overheard the other day when she was involved in a monologue with Kong.

She was petting his neck, “Kong, you know, I just don’t find any trousers for you, not even a toy…poor you, you don’t wear anything. But dontcha worry, I’ve saved enough dollars to get you a bow-tie collar the other day we saw at the mall.”

Giggle. Giggle.

Oops! Where did that come from?! This little tot sure has a mighty heart. Shame on you Bob!

Moment of Zen for you people. . . Kids crawl and cry, but almost all the time they smile when they see others happy and cheerful!

Anyways, now, here when I lent my hand to clean, I happened up on the teddies of different shapes, colors, and sizes. And some handicapped ones too. Especially the one with it’s left leg hanging out. It had been taped to keep it intact. I pitched it straight into the trash.

When your girlfriend gives you a ferocious stare even if it is at your back, you tend to notice. There’s a sixth sense that registers the impact and notifies you of the inevitable tongue lash. I turned around. Sure, she was angry.

“Bob, why did you throw Puffy in the can?”

Now, that’s the teddy’s name. Does she name everyone of them….

“Bobbbbbb! Do you hear me?”

“Oh! Aaliyah, that one was broken, I mean, it had lost a leg….it was taped and ugly….I thought you wouldn’t like it lying around”

“Did I tell you, I wouldn’t like it?”

“No, I assumed. . .”

“You assumed? Bob, you know what’s “assume”? It’s making an “ass” out of “u” and “me.” Saying that she ran to the trash can and retrieved it.

Ouch! That was strong. All for a teddy!

“Bob”

“Yes.”

“You may’ve forgotten it, but this is the first teddy you gifted me. . . it’s been a while, it has lost its color, it’s not the brand new one as it was when you gifted me. . . but Bob, I hug it to sleep. It’s special.”

And she hugged it again.

Call me cynical, but I was jealous at the teddy. . . at least for a moment I saw the teddy holding my world in a bear hug!

Bob
Editor, 123Greetings
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