Players, headphones, and gadgets
on display, searching for the car charger that would work with my particular
phone. Dad didn’t have a lot of money, so I didn’t own a smart phone like most
of the kids at my school. Cheap. Useful. Portable. Dad didn’t care about data
plans, searching the web, or my desperate need to text my friends.
“Texting? Why do kids insist on finding ways to be less and
less sociable? Call your friends and actually talk to them, or better yet,
write them a note. That’s what we used to do back when I was in high school
when nobody owned cell phones. We wrote on a piece of paper, then folded
it into a triangle and tossed it at our friends when we passed them in the
hall. Somehow, even without phones, we managed to communicate and meet up at
the right places at the right time.”
He didn’t get it. No one wrote notes anymore, and even
though my phone had its limits, I made it work and tried not to complain—too
much. One girl didn’t even own a phone at all, not a cell phone, not even a landline,
so I knew things could be far worse than not owning the latest gadget.
But as I looked at my phone, and the various modern chargers
hanging there, I wished Dad hadn’t been so antiquated.
“You ready to go?” Cole approached, snacking on a half-eaten
candy bar. A few unopened candy bars stuck out of the breast pocket of his
jacket.
“Almost. I’m trying to find the right charger for my cell
phone.”
He nodded, took a bite, and talked as he chewed. “Good, even
if it is a little misguided. It shows you haven’t completely given up. You’re
tougher than you thought.” He held the candy bar out to me. “Want a bite?”
Really? “Gross. I’ll pass.”
He shrugged, slipped the last piece into his mouth, and then
opened wide to show me the mushy, chocolaty, brown mess on his tongue.
“Eeww. You’re disgusting!”
“Awesome.” Then he did it again.
“You’re worse than a child, I swear.”
He smiled. “That’s what I’ve been told.”
I was about to look through the chargers once more, but
stopped and turned around as he began to walk away. “What did you mean I’m
misguided?”
He grabbed a package of green ear buds and looked them over before
placing them back on the shelf and opting instead for the neon-pink ones which
he slipped into his pocket next to the pilfered candy bars. “We already
discussed this. Satellites are down, remember? But if you want to figure it out
for yourself, then that’s your right. Do what you gotta do.”
“I’m looking at chargers because my dad left me a message, telling
me where he and my brother were, but my battery died before I could hear the
whole thing.”
“Wow. Hate when that happens. The irony.”
“Can you please be serious for one minute? Please?” The
longer I spent with this guy the more appealing my idiot brother looked.
He cleared his voice, raised his chin, and held up his hand
in the manner of Queen Elizabeth. “Of course. Please proceed.”
I tipped my head and gave him an incredulous look. “Just be
normal.”
He dropped his arm to his side and shrugged. “Now you’re confusing
me. What do you want? Serious or normal? I can’t do both.”
“Forget it.” I waved him off and turned to the display of
chargers again. “I don’t know why I even bother. You’re impossible.”
He came to stand at my side, our shoulders nearly touching,
then grabbed a charger from the shelf, opened the package, and took my phone
from my hands. He connected it at the base and smiled. “This should do the
trick.”
“Thanks.” I tried to take my phone from him, but he held it outside
my reach.
“Not so fast, short one. First, you need to tell me your
name. It’s only fair since you know mine.”
I released an irritated breath. “My name’s Tess, and my cat’s
name is Callie, in case you want to know that too.” I reached for my phone
again, and this time snagged it from his grasp.
He glanced over his shoulder
on display, searching for the car charger that would work with my particular
phone. Dad didn’t have a lot of money, so I didn’t own a smart phone like most
of the kids at my school. Cheap. Useful. Portable. Dad didn’t care about data
plans, searching the web, or my desperate need to text my friends.
“Texting? Why do kids insist on finding ways to be less and
less sociable? Call your friends and actually talk to them, or better yet,
write them a note. That’s what we used to do back when I was in high school
when nobody owned cell phones. We wrote on a piece of paper, then folded
it into a triangle and tossed it at our friends when we passed them in the
hall. Somehow, even without phones, we managed to communicate and meet up at
the right places at the right time.”
He didn’t get it. No one wrote notes anymore, and even
though my phone had its limits, I made it work and tried not to complain—too
much. One girl didn’t even own a phone at all, not a cell phone, not even a landline,
so I knew things could be far worse than not owning the latest gadget.
But as I looked at my phone, and the various modern chargers
hanging there, I wished Dad hadn’t been so antiquated.
“You ready to go?” Cole approached, snacking on a half-eaten
candy bar. A few unopened candy bars stuck out of the breast pocket of his
jacket.
“Almost. I’m trying to find the right charger for my cell
phone.”
He nodded, took a bite, and talked as he chewed. “Good, even
if it is a little misguided. It shows you haven’t completely given up. You’re
tougher than you thought.” He held the candy bar out to me. “Want a bite?”
Really? “Gross. I’ll pass.”
He shrugged, slipped the last piece into his mouth, and then
opened wide to show me the mushy, chocolaty, brown mess on his tongue.
“Eeww. You’re disgusting!”
“Awesome.” Then he did it again.
“You’re worse than a child, I swear.”
He smiled. “That’s what I’ve been told.”
I was about to look through the chargers once more, but
stopped and turned around as he began to walk away. “What did you mean I’m
misguided?”
He grabbed a package of green ear buds and looked them over before
placing them back on the shelf and opting instead for the neon-pink ones which
he slipped into his pocket next to the pilfered candy bars. “We already
discussed this. Satellites are down, remember? But if you want to figure it out
for yourself, then that’s your right. Do what you gotta do.”
“I’m looking at chargers because my dad left me a message, telling
me where he and my brother were, but my battery died before I could hear the
whole thing.”
“Wow. Hate when that happens. The irony.”
“Can you please be serious for one minute? Please?” The
longer I spent with this guy the more appealing my idiot brother looked.
He cleared his voice, raised his chin, and held up his hand
in the manner of Queen Elizabeth. “Of course. Please proceed.”
I tipped my head and gave him an incredulous look. “Just be
normal.”
He dropped his arm to his side and shrugged. “Now you’re confusing
me. What do you want? Serious or normal? I can’t do both.”
“Forget it.” I waved him off and turned to the display of
chargers again. “I don’t know why I even bother. You’re impossible.”
He came to stand at my side, our shoulders nearly touching,
then grabbed a charger from the shelf, opened the package, and took my phone
from my hands. He connected it at the base and smiled. “This should do the
trick.”
“Thanks.” I tried to take my phone from him, but he held it outside
my reach.
“Not so fast, short one. First, you need to tell me your
name. It’s only fair since you know mine.”
I released an irritated breath. “My name’s Tess, and my cat’s
name is Callie, in case you want to know that too.” I reached for my phone
again, and this time snagged it from his grasp.
He glanced over his shoulder
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