How many bathrooms are in this castle?
I have come into the house from bike riding with Jäger, my newest attempt at bettering both our lives. I get low-impact high-cardio exercise, my dog gets to run. I am standing in the kitchen, talking to my mom and gram. Dad walks by and pokes me in the stomach.
"Hey!" I exclaim. "Don't poke my fat, I'm trying to get rid of it. No need to abuse it while it's still here."
Dad sits down in his recliner. "Well, once it's gone I won't be able to. Gotta get your kicks while you can."
"Hey, who knows?" Mom chimes in, "You might even be skinny by the time you go to Ireland - meet one of those cute Irish boys."
"Yep," I replied, reaching down to scratch between Jäger's ears, "I'll be sure to call and say 'send my dog, I'm not coming back'."
Mom, even after knowing me my whole life, looks puzzled. "Oh, you wouldn't bring him home with you?"
"Lemme think on that." I do the judgment scales thing, alternately raising and lowering my hands, palm up. "Ireland, Rhode Island, Ireland, Rhode Island...yeah, Ireland wins."
"Well how do you know you'll like Ireland so much? You've never been there. Everywhere is nice on a vacation." Mom counters.
As I open my mouth to answer, Dad beats me to it with a wink and a smile. "It's not Rhode Island!" Sometimes, I think he secretly misses Virginia as much as I do, but he loves my mom just enough more to not be open about it because she really felt that she had to be here for gram.
Mom looks between us. "You really hate Rhode Island that much?"
I sigh. I hate repeating myself, and I've explained this before. "No, i hate living here that much. Rhode Island is a perfectly nice place to visit."
"Ohhhh, I see."
I open the door to the basement and smile at mom. "So my Irish prince and I will visit you in Rhode Island."
"Hey!" I exclaim. "Don't poke my fat, I'm trying to get rid of it. No need to abuse it while it's still here."
Dad sits down in his recliner. "Well, once it's gone I won't be able to. Gotta get your kicks while you can."
"Hey, who knows?" Mom chimes in, "You might even be skinny by the time you go to Ireland - meet one of those cute Irish boys."
"Yep," I replied, reaching down to scratch between Jäger's ears, "I'll be sure to call and say 'send my dog, I'm not coming back'."
Mom, even after knowing me my whole life, looks puzzled. "Oh, you wouldn't bring him home with you?"
"Lemme think on that." I do the judgment scales thing, alternately raising and lowering my hands, palm up. "Ireland, Rhode Island, Ireland, Rhode Island...yeah, Ireland wins."
"Well how do you know you'll like Ireland so much? You've never been there. Everywhere is nice on a vacation." Mom counters.
As I open my mouth to answer, Dad beats me to it with a wink and a smile. "It's not Rhode Island!" Sometimes, I think he secretly misses Virginia as much as I do, but he loves my mom just enough more to not be open about it because she really felt that she had to be here for gram.
Mom looks between us. "You really hate Rhode Island that much?"
I sigh. I hate repeating myself, and I've explained this before. "No, i hate living here that much. Rhode Island is a perfectly nice place to visit."
"Ohhhh, I see."
I open the door to the basement and smile at mom. "So my Irish prince and I will visit you in Rhode Island."