First Step on an Unknown World

Photo Credit: WisDoc (Flickr.com)

I don’t know what we were expecting.

We’d all been through Space Corps training on the colony ship, and we knew what we’d find. But some of us — I think the younger and more romantic of us, the ones whose only perceptions of Earth were shaped by the entertainment vids we had stored onboard the ship computer — were expecting the place to be lush and full of alien life. Flora, at the very least, and hopefully some interesting fauna.

But as we exited the colony ship, it was clear that this place was just a giant hunk of rock sitting atop a lifeless ocean of water. We couldn’t breathe the air, of course; with no plant life, there was no reason for oxygen to be in the atmosphere. But I think that some of us hoped we’d find something like the stories about the unspoiled wilds of the Earth — a sprawling forest, or a magnificent prairie, or a tree line atop a deep blue mountain ridge cutting into the horizon.

But no. This place had none of that. The sky was a deep purple, and the sand was red and rust-colored. This place had been selected for colonization because it was like the young Earth, the Earth no human being had ever known. We were seeing, in a way, our own genesis. And yet as we stood outside the colony ship and stared out at this alien, barren place, we knew that though this was meant to be our new home, it would be hundreds or thousands of years before it ever truly felt like it.

Horror of the Miracle of Life

Photo Credit: Chotda (Flickr.com)

“Did she?” asked Kevin. He picked his daughter up, since she was still small enough to hold, and carried her with him. “Where’s Doug?”

“I think he’s in the barn,” Caroline said. “Can we name them?”

“We’ll see,” said Kevin. They walked into the barn. Sure enough, Polly was lying on her side, and the little puppies were suckling at her teats. They were small and white, with black spots and pink noses; blind, of course, and making little squeaking noises.

“Aren’t they cute?” Caroline asked. She got down from her father’s side and ran over to see them. “I love them so much!”

Kevin walked over to his son, who was sitting nearby, watching the dogs from a distance. “How many?” Kevin asked.

“Six,” Doug said. “But there’s something wrong with one of them. I’ve been keeping an eye on him.” He pointed to one puppy on the side that was being crowded out from the teats. “The other pups won’t let him get any milk, and Polly’s tried to eat him twice.”

Kevin nodded. “Did Caroline see that?”

“She thinks Polly’s just playing,” said Doug. “I didn’t want to tell her, you know?”

Kevin put his hand on his son’s shoulder. “Thank you,” he said. “Can you go get a bottle of milk?”

Doug stood up. “You’re gonna try to keep him?” he asked. “You know what’s gonna happen.”

Caroline looked up from her spot next to the puppies. “Come see the puppies, daddy!” she said.

“I think we should try,” said Kevin, sighing. “I don’t want to break her heart.”

Doug headed towards the house, and Kevin walked over towards Polly. “They’re so cute,” Caroline said. “Can we name them now?”

“We can name one of them,” Kevin said. He pointed to the one on the side. “How about that one?”

Caroline reached for him. The puppy squirmed in her little hands, sniffing and squeaking as she picked him up. “Come here,” she said in her little voice. “Mama won’t hurt you.”

“Have you thought of a name?” Kevin asked.

“I think…” she said. “I think I want to call him Cookies n Cream, because he looks like my favorite ice cream.”

Kevin smiled. “Cookies n Cream is a little long for a name,” he said. “How about Cookie?”

“But… OK. But can I still call him Cookies n Cream, Daddy?” she asked. “Even if his name is just Cookie?”

“You can call him whatever you want, sweetie,” he said. He knelt down. “Let me see Cookie for a minute.”

She held him close and kissed him for a moment, and then handed him up. Kevin quickly looked over the pup, trying to sense why Polly wasn’t taking to him. It looked like he was all right, but Kevin wondered if something was wrong with him they couldn’t quite spot yet. He handed Cookie back to Caroline.

“Doug says Polly tried to eat Cookie earlier,” Kevin said.

“Yeah, she’s silly,” said Caroline.

Kevin laughed to show he’d made a joke. “Did she know we were going to name him Cookie?” he asked. “Did Polly think he sounded like he was going to taste good?”

Now Caroline laughed too. “You’re silly, Daddy,” she said.

Kevin was glad this had worked out so easily. He needed to explain to his daughter that Polly might try to eat the puppy again, that mother dogs would cull their own pups when they sensed they wouldn’t survive. He needed to make sure Caroline knew that life came at a high price, and that dogs didn’t think about killing their young the same way that people did. It was a lot to have to explain to a five-year-0ld who had just warmed up to the idea of puppies.

Doug returned with the bottle, and Kevin showed Caroline how to feed the puppy. “Milk for Cookie,” he said with a forced laugh. “They go together.”

And then, with a heavy sigh, he sat his daughter down and watched her cry as he explained the cold, difficult facts to her.

Where Should We Eat?

Photo Credit: Scorpions and Centaurs (Flickr.com)

“So, where do you want to go?”

“I don’t know.”

Sigh. “If you don’t tell me where you want to go, I’m going to decide for us.”

“I don’t really care.”

“You say that, but if I take us somewhere you don’t want, you’ll get upset and say I never listen to you.”

“That’s because you always want to go out for pizza.”

“Yes. You’re right. I do. Pizza is good.”

“Well, I just get tired of eating pizza all the time.”

“We don’t eat it all the time! I don’t think we’ve had it in over a week.”

“We eat it every time we go out.”

“All right, fine. Maybe you should just list what you don’t? want.”

“Why do you always have to act like this?”

“Act like what? I’m trying to get you to make a decision?”

Scowl.

“Look, you can be quiet if you want to, but if you don’t speak up, I’m going to drive to a pizza place.”

“No pizza.”

“What about Indian? Russian? Ethiopian? Peruvian?”

“No.”

“Vietnamese? Chinese? Thai?”

“I don’t like Thai.”

“OK, so no to all of those, too. Have you narrowed it down to a nationality you do want?”

“I don’t know. American.”

“OK. So, that means, what? Burgers, BBQ, fried chicken, hot dogs, pizza…”

“I said no pizza. And that’s not American.”

“It was invented in America. And I’m just making a list. What else? Country cooking, sandwiches, buffets, New York strip steak…”

“Maybe… seafood.”

“Seafood? All right. Which restaurant?”

“I don’t know… what sounds good?”

“Well, I don’t like seafood that much, so you tell me.”

“I don’t know. You pick.”

“You’re being deliberately difficult, aren’t you? How about Red Lobster?”

“We just went there last month.”

“Well, where else do you go for seafood around here? We don’t have a lot of choices. Long John Silver’s?”

“No fast food. It’s too greasy.”

“So… Red Lobster, then.”

“No.”

“Should I drive us to a stream and catch the fish myself?”

“I want shrimp.”

“OK. Shrimp. Red Lobster specializes in shrimp. Somestimes, I think they should change their name to reflect it.”

“Maybe a shrimp… chimichanga.”

“Chimichanga? That’s Mexican food. I thought you said you wanted American.”

“That is American. Mexico’s in America.”

“All right, fine. So, Mexican food, then. Which one?”

“I don’t know…”

Retail Hell

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Where the heck are all these people coming from? I wondered as the door chime sounded once again. Most days, we had maybe forty or fifty come in the store during the entire time we were open. Today, we were getting that many every hour.

We’d been busy after Christmas, of course. We always were. We were prepared for it, staffed for it, and ready to meet the challenge of being busy. But it was mid-January now, and our company had cut back on hours for the month to help meet the goals for the fiscal year. We’d run so many sales that we were running out of everything, and most of the merchandise we had left was on clearance. Our Spring shipments had yet to come in, and there were signs up all over the store announcing our “Annual Clearance Event!”. If I hadn’t known better, I’d have guessed we were about to go out of business.

A woman approached me, held up one of our most popular men’s shirts, and asked if we had it in an extra large.

“No, ma’am, I’m sorry,” I said. “Everything we have is out on the floor.”

“Well, can you check in the back?” she asked.

“We don’t keep stock in the back, ma’am,” I said. “It’s all out on the floor.”

“Well, can you order it from another store, then?” she asked.

“We don’t have the ability to do that,” I said. “I’m sorry.”

“Can you look in the computer, just to make sure?” she asked.

“I can,” I said.  And I walked her over to the register with me and did just that. I was a little surprised to see that the inventory was listing a quantity of one on hand, but I knew that shirt wasn’t out on the floor.

“It says we have one,” I explained. “But our computer isn’t always up-to-date, and even if it says we have one, we may not.” I didn’t want to explain that this was because we had no way of knowing when shirts had been stolen until we did our cycle counts. And we just didn’t have the staff to do those at the moment.

The woman looked annoyed. “Well, how do you know you don’t have any more?” she asked. “You don’t seem very interested in helping me.”

“Ma’am, I assure you that I’m very interested in helping you,” I said. “But that shirt was a big seller, and extra large is our most popular size.” Mainly because everyone who shops here is fat, I thought, but I didn’t say it. “And we only get so many in for the season, and then we have to start clearing things out for the new year. Unfortunately, if you want something during the holiday season, you have to get it before it’s sold out, because we’re not likely to get any more of them.”

The lady rolled her eyes. “All I’m trying to do is spend money in your store,” she said defensively. “You don’t have to be so rude.”

This was one of those situations that could turn ugly fast. “Ma’am, I’m not trying to be rude,” I said. “I apologize if I’m coming across that way. I’m just trying to be honest, because I you to understand why that shirt isn’t available.”

She shook her head. “Just a bunch of excuses,” she said. “Typical.” She handed me the shirt she was holding and stormed out, the door chiming once again as she pushed it open and stomped across the threshold.

I was annoyed, but I was sort of glad to see her go. I’d endured a lot of customer abuse over returns earlier in the week; I really didn’t need to be hassled. Besides, this was the time of year when people would come in, make a single purchase, and then never come back again. It wasn’t like we’d lost a sale here; we didn’t have what she wanted.

Antoine, one of my associates, approached me. “Um, Karen,” he started. “Was she looking for this?” He held up a shirt identical to the one I was holding in my hand. I glanced at the tag and saw the letters XL peeking out at me. “I just got it returned, like, 5 minutes before she came in.”

I didn’t say anything, and just took a deep breath instead. Antoine looked confused. “Should I, um, go after her?” he asked.

“Put it in the return bin,” I said. “We’ll deal with it later.”

Sunseeing

Photo Credit: Mosmi (Flickr.com)

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is very important,” said the cruise director over the PA. “In a moment, we will be lowering the viewing shield on the observation deck. But while we swing the ship around so that you will have an optimal viewing angle, there are a few precautions that you must take for your protection and for the protection of Sol Cruises, International.”

“First, you must ensure that your viewing goggles are securely strapped on your face. The viewing shield is designed to filter out ultraviolet rays, but we are so close to the sun that we do not want to leave anything to chance. Staring at the sun unprotected will make you go blind. So please, check your goggles one last time, and if you have any small children with you, please ensure that their goggles are also secure.”

“Second, it is natural to want to crowd around the observation window, but please remember that even though the window is heat-shielded and designed to protect you, it will still get quite warm, and may potentially burn you with a prolonged exposure. We have set up an array of railings for you to hold on to that will give you an optimal view of the window — please remain behind these railings at all times.”

“Finally, we would like to remind you that because the Sun is extremely chaotic, we may be required to shift suddenly to avoid solar activity as it flares. Should anything dangerous occur, the ship will automatically seal the viewing window off from the observation area. You will be safe, but you will be required to immediately leave the area as an extra precaution.”

Jim sighed. “That’s a lot of directions,” he said.

His wife, Sue, smiled as she floated above him. “They’ve got to cover themselves,” she said. “Can you imagine how many idiots they’ve dealt with who have caused them to have to give these directions in the first place?”

“We should probably get a rail spot,” said Jim. Many cruise guests were already floating up to the various rails situated along the presently-opaque viewing window. “Where do you think the best spot will be?”

“I don’t think there is a best spot,” said Sue. “Honestly, we’ll probably see just as well if we sit back here. And the window’s going to be open for a few hours. Most of these people will get tired of looking after a few minutes.”

A family brushed past them, spinning awkwardly as they floated towards the window. They still hadn’t quite mastered the zero-gravity environment of the ship, it seemed. Jim pushed off one of them and grabbed on to Sue. They held hands as they floated up and to the left a little bit. There was plenty of room for floating; the room was situated on the top of the cruise ship, a giant dome that was three stories tall. They could cram tens of thousands of people in here, if they wanted to. As it was, there were maybe three thousand people on the ship. The room almost seemed empty by comparison.

A fanfare began to play. “Ladies and gentlemen,” said a voice, “please situate yourself comfortably, because the show is about to begin!”

A hush fell in the observation room. The opaque tinting on the dome began to fade, slowly. Many people in the room covered their eyes as the brilliant light of the sun began to fill the area.

The announcer launched into a speech about how the ancients worshiped the sun, and how it was vital for the development of human life, and how mankind had dreamed of it as this small disc in the sky, when the reality was that it was a giant sphere over a hundred bigger than the entire Earth. “Even from the surface of the planet Mercury, the sun only appears three times as large as it does from the Earth,” the narrator explained. “What you are about to see is the sun from one light minute away, or about 18 million kilometers. This is the closest that we can safely approach the sun with our present technology. Everything you’ve seen beyond that was collected by unmanned spacecraft.”

“It’s smaller than I thought it’d be,” said Jim as his eyes began to adjust to the brightness of the light. The opacity of the viewing window was to its minimum level now, and his goggles were allowing in the amount of light his eyes could safely view. He’d hoped that the disc of the sun would be bigger from this distance. It wasn’t small; it hung in the dark backdrop like a large shining halo, sure enough. But it didn’t even fill up the entire observation window. Jim had been hoping for something that dwarfed the cruise ship they were on. Instead, the sun seemed almost tame and manageable from this distance.

“Well, we’re still 11 million miles away,” said Sue. “But it’s still pretty impressive, wouldn’t you say?”

“Yeah, I guess,” said Jim with a sigh. “It’s just… disappointing, is all.”

Sue wrapped her arm around him. “I think it’s kind of neat, really,” she said. “Here’s this giant object in space that’s responsible for shaping life on Earth, and we can’t even get close enough for you to really appreciate it, because it’s too dangerous. That’s sort of like the ancient views of God, isn’t it?”

“Well, a lot of the old religions worshiped God as a solar deity,” said Jim. “So, it is an interesting connection.”

“See? There you go,” said Sue. She pointed at the sun before them. “This is as close as you can get to God. Closer than any humans before us, but still not close enough to satisfy ourselves.”

Jim laughed at this. “But we don’t believe in God,” he said.

“No,” said Sue. “We don’t. And I wonder if there’s something to that. Such as, maybe we reached the limits of our understanding of what God could be, and realized we no longer needed to try to get close to God any more for human achievement to continue? Maybe we realized that the idea of getting closer to perfection was not something we could reach with God’s help, but merely on our own?”

“Remember,” she said, “that our parents thought a colony on Mercury was impossible? And now we have several.”

Jim thought about this as he looked at the sun. “All right, I’m getting over my disappointment now,” he said. “And it really is pretty spectacular to see it so close.”

Sue smiled. “Looks like some of the other people are already getting bored,” she said, pointing towards the railings, where large numbers of spectators were pushing off, presumably so they could go find out what was for lunch. “Let’s grab a spot.”

[Journal] My 5-Car Pileup

Photo Credit: Markybon (Flickr.com)

Note: This is a non-fiction entry in my personal journal.

It was after an exceedingly stressful day that I was in a 5-car pileup on the Interstate. A pickup truck in front of me hit the brakes suddenly, and then I hit mine. And then, the lady behind me hit me, and the two cars behind her hit each other and then her, pushing me into the truck in front of me. 5 cars, stuck in a domino effect. Every one of us unable to prevent the accident from occurring.

My description makes it sound a lot worse than it really was, of course — no one was hurt, do real damage was done, and the whole thing wound up being a big inconvenience to everyone involved. One of the guys was even annoyed that I called the cops since it was going to take a chunk out of his evening. But isn’t it wonderful that we could all be in a 5-car pileup and be annoyed that the paperwork was taking too long?

Here are some of the many things that could have made the accident much more serious, and potentially fatal to some of us.
1) A semi could have been involved.
2) Someone could have hit their accelerator instead of their brakes out of panic.
3) The roads could have been icy or wet, resulting in less traction.
4) The accident could have spilled over into another lane.
5) It could have happened at a much greater speed.
6) It could have happened a quarter mile earlier while we were still on the curve of a bridge.
7) Someone could have not been wearing a seatbelt and been more seriously injured.

And so on, and so on.

But nope. Hardly any damage, either to ourselves or collaterally. We all lived to be annoyed. I’d call that the best car accident I could ever hope to be in.

Let’s hope the next one is just as easy.

-SJJ

Air Travel

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6:45 AM. I’m leaving Dallas Fort-Worth. It’s colder than I expected, but that happens in the winter. My suit isn’t really made for keeping out the cool air, but my leather jacket more than compensates. I’m actually sweating as I walk through the airport. But if I take my jacket off, they’ll count it as a carry-on item. Airports are insane.

5:00 PM. Boston is cold, and covered in snow. I can’t believe how much snow I’m seeing. This isn’t even fresh snow; it happened three days ago, and all it’s been doing is blowing around from one place to the other. They had a foot; it looks like hardly any of it has melted. Sure, the roads and runways are clear, but there’s snow on every sidewalk and driveway. It’s a good thing I’m not staying overnight; I like to talk a walk at night, and I don’t think I’d be able to do it here. Even if it weren’t for the snow, the wind chill is so bad that I’d have to wear three layers of clothes just to stay warm. And I’d never think to pack for that.

9:30 PM. I’ve arrived in Chicago. It’s got snow and wind, but it’s nowhere near as bad as Boston. But the people here seem less comfortable with it; in Boston, they went about their lives. Here, they’re driving slow and wearing the wrong sorts of clothes for the weather. That’s funny. I always thought Chicago people were used to the winter weather. I’ve been there in June before and had to wear a jacket because it was so cold. But this is fresh snow, and the cab driver told me that this all just blew in after some unseasonable warmth. I guess they got caught off-guard.

6:00 PM. It was a short jaunt down to St. Louis; maybe an hour flight. But it’s amazing how much different it is down here. They got hit by the same snowstorm Chicago and Boston saw, but only got a light dusting. The people here don’t know how to drive, but in my experience, they never know how to drive in this town. My cab passed a five-car pileup on the way to my hotel downtown. I’d swear it was five fender benders in a row. That’s hardly worth calling the police about.

3:00 PM. You sort of expect snow in Denver. But there isn’t much. I’m surprised. I guess it got warm enough and dry enough that the snow started melting. It’s still cold, if you ask me, but it is currently above freezing, so I guess I shouldn’t complain too much. At least people here are used to this stuff. Down in Texas, we get snow occasionally, but never for very long. My mom moved down to Tampa, Florida a couple of years ago. She hasn’t seen snow since she got there.

10:00 AM. Finally home in Dallas. These back-to-back speaking engagements are going to kill me. I’ve got another round of them next week. It’s weird to think that over the course of a few days, I’ve been flying cross-country. Honestly, you get so used to it after awhile it feels like you’re just a few hours from home at any given moment. Everything’s pretty much the same. You never stop to think how far away you really are… just how much better home really is.

The Long Drive Home

Photo Credit: K2D2vaca (Flickr.com)

George hated his commute. Especially on days like today.

“Will… you… MOVE?!” he shouted at the Cadillac in front of him, which had decided to stop and let three cars in front of it instead of advancing his lane any further. He didn’t mind it when people were polite, but this was ridiculous. There was a hill ahead, and a curve beyond that, so it was hard to see how far the traffic was backed up. But from where Carl was sitting, things were practically at a standstill, and it didn’t look like they’d be getting better soon.

It was upsetting. He’d had big plans for tonight — he was going to grill up some steaks he’d left marinating, make himself a bloody mary, and sit on the back porch and relax and unwind a little bit. Work had been awful today — well, it was always awful, but today had been especially horrifying. He’d been dealing with a client who he just couldn’t please, and he felt like garbage when it was all said and done.

And now… this. There was no easy way off the interstate for at least another mile, and the off-ramp was likely to be just as backed up as the interstate itself. It was going to be awhile. George shifted in his seat. He had to pee, badly. He’d considered going before he’d left the office, but nope, he’d figured that his measly 30-minute commute wouldn’t be a problem today.

He turned up the radio, and found himself getting irritated with the chattering DJ. He flipped through a few stations, trying to ignore the pressure between his legs. But it wasn’t going away.

The Cadillac inched forward, finally. George inched with it, and slammed on his brakes as he saw brake lights again. Another car pulled in front of the Cadillac. George cursed, and contemplated getting out of his car and pissing all over the side of the Cadillac in defiance.

The pressure seemed to swell at the thought, and George undid his seatbelt so he could shift again. What were you supposed to do in these situations? There was no civilized way to deal with this. He couldn’t just get out of his car and go on the side of the road. People got arrested for things like that, especially when they were wearing suits. A bum could probably get away with it. But the police didn’t like it when obviously sane people violated the law.

George shifted again. He was going to have to do something, soon. The Cadillac inched forward a little more, and he followed it before he once again came to a stop. He started groping around in his back seat, and eventually came up with a halfway-full bottle of water. Perfect. He rolled down his window, dumped the water out, and held it down near his pants. Looking to his right quickly, he made sure the car next to him didn’t have anyone watching, then unzipped his pants and tried to position things so he could take care of his problem.

It was awkward, and very nearly messy, with a lot of stopping and starting. It seemed to take forever, and he was worried he was going to have to stop mid-stream, dump out the bottle, and then continue. But fortunately, the pressure eased, and he was able to stop before long. He put the cap on the bottle and sighed in relief.

The car behind him honked.

The Cadillac had pulled forward, and someone in an SUV from the next lane over was trying to pull in. George floored it, and had to brake almost as suddenly before he slammed into the Cadillac. The woman trying to inch over honked and shot him a nasty gesture. And then, just as suddenly, she had a horrified expression on her face. She quickly turned her head.

George considered this for a moment, and then realized he’d forgotten something. Cursing silently, he rearranged himself and zipped up his pants. It required him to shift a little bit, which was even more awkward. He glanced sheepishly over at the woman when he was done. She was looking down at his car, talking into a cell phone. George had a sinking feeling that she was calling the police … something that was confirmed when he saw her turn her camera and take a picture of his car.

It was going to be a long night…

Sick Day

Photo Credit: Randy Son of Robert (Flickr.com)

I never realized how much my dogs must annoy my neighbors.

My husband and I got a beagle puppy for my birthday last year. He was cute and cuddly and completely dependent on me, which I loved. But then Sam got bigger, and more independent. And he also got lonely. It was sad to leave him behind in the morning and hear his yelping cries. I knew I wouldn’t want to be left alone all day, and I was sure that he didn’t either.

As it happened, a friend of ours had to find a home for Missy, his West Highland Terrier. She was a cute little dog, about five years old, but spirited, and friendly. Sam and Missy had played together at the dog park, and they got along well. And since both of them were fixed, we wouldn’t have to worry about puppies. Sam seemed less lonely now that Missy was around, and once she got over missing her old master, she seemed happy with the new arrangement.

Our condo is pet-friendly, and a lot of people have dogs or cats. But I don’t know if anyone has dogs who bark quite as much as mine. As I’ve stayed home sick today, I’ve been woken up every hour by Sam or Missy getting all upset about something. First, it was the guy upstairs walking very heavily across the floor. Next, it was the squirrel outside the window. After that, it was the mailman dropping off a package. They seem to go crazy at least once an hour. I’m wondering if they do this every day when I’m gone. It’s never occurred to me before that my dogs might be, well, you know, bad, and that our neighbors might despise us for letting them bark all the time.

It’s strange to think that other people might judge us by our pets. There might even be people in our condo who think of us as “the owners of that annoying beagle and yappy westie” but who have no idea who we are or what we do. It’s sort of like when I go to the dog park, and I get to know people by their dogs. It’s a frame of reference that’s easier, I suppose, than making a personal connection.

I wish I knew how to make my dogs be quiet and behave. I always thought that we were nice and quiet neighbors. But taking a sick day has made me think twice.

Cleaning House

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“You’re supposed to be cleaning,” my wife said.

I looked up from the binder of baseball cards I’d found. “I know,” I said. “I just wanted to look through this stuff for a minute.”

She sat down next to me and started rummaging through the box I’d found. She pulled out one of my little league trophies. “I didn’t know you were into baseball,” she said, and read the plate on the base. “Most Improved Player,” she said. “Huh.”

“I’m not into baseball,” I said. “I mean, I was when I was a kid, but I outgrew it, I guess.”

“What position did you play?” she asked.

“Outfield,” I said. “It was the safest place to put me. Most of the kids couldn’t hit very far.”

She laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you play a sport that wasn’t a video game,” she said. “I’ve never thought of you as an athlete.” She pulled out my old glove. “No offense, of course.”

“No, it’s fine,” I said. “It was one of those things I did because my parents made me. I wouldn’t have chosen to do it.”

“They made you?” she asked. “Did they make you buy all those baseball cards, too?”

I grinned. “My mom said I was wasting my money,” I said. “I tried to convince her that these were an investment.”

“Are they worth anything?” my wife asked.

“These? Nah. Probably not,” I said. “Every kid in the country was collecting baseball cards at the time, hoping to strike it rich one day. And they probably kept theirs in better condition than I’ve kept mine.”

I flipped a page as my wife continued looking through the box. “You know,” I said. “There was a time when I spent hours organizing these cards in this book. I probably switched them around five or six times until I was happy with the way they were arranged. It was all a huge waste of time, of course, because I lost interest and never touched these again. But what makes us do that? Why do we spend so much time interested in things that don’t matter in the long run?”

“Well, I don’t know,” said my wife. “But maybe sometimes, what seems like a waste of time is good practice for something else in life.” She stood up, and threw a dustrag at me. I caught it. “See?” she said. “Your baseball skills came in handy. And your organization skills are about to.”

I closed the binder of cards and shook my head with a smile.