New to the Old

I came back last Tuesday from work to the smiling face of my awesome step-mom Debbie. It seemed to be an abnormally intentional smile. She asked me if I had seen my room yet. I was worried. In the last week and a half I had completely packed up and relocated all of my useful and prized posessions of my college and so on era, my time on the East Coast. After coming back to live in my old room after over a four year absence, I was less than excited about putting my things away in drawers and hanging them next to my old prom dresses and winter coats. Then again, I'm also just pretty messy when it comes to clothes and an empty floor. I was worried she had taken the initiative to clean. My Dad put his paper down. Usually my Dad does not hear conversation directed at him when reading the paper, so noticing I was home made them even more suspect.

Slowly I opened my door, pleased to find my bed still unmade, clothes still half in and half out of my suitcase and boxes scattered near my bed with easy access to books. Nothing seemed different, yet they followed me. They were still smiling. My Jr. High trophies and HS diploma were still on my desk next to birthday pictures taken by waiters and junk, known as knick knacks because such items were also gifts. I finally looked in a corner. A green frog hamper (see similar). A large cylinder of bright green with floppy legs and arms, giant eyes, and of course a wide mouth, opening to the cavernous hamper. It was bigger than my night stand.

My dad said, "We noticed you didn't have a hamper, and thought this might be helpful." They could not tell me to clean my room, in my new "adult" state, so as not to infringe upon my independence and shorten my length of stay. After being at work and discussing in depth the budget with the chairman of the board, talking to a local newsreporter, signing the checks, and meeting with my 4 staff members, I had felt as though I was quite an adult. Fortunately, my parents had not forgotten my youth. I wore a much larger and less suspicious smile than that of my step-mom for the rest of the night. It will always be good to be a kid.