Now that winter has set in, our garage has been cleaned and reorganized so that once again my car can squeeze in and be sheltered from the blustery wind, the freezing rain and the accumulating snow. Well, that's not actually true. Having the car in the garage for the winter is so that I don't have to wake up 15 minutes earlier to scrape off the frost and warm it up. Last night was the first time it dipped below freezing, so I wasn't all that surprised when I heard a loud shudder as I approached the car. I was surprised, however, when I realized it was the garage door, not the car, making the sound.
Sounds like somebody's not ready for winter. (I could see my breath as the words came out.)
Brrrrrrr! (Another shudder.) I'm chilled all the way through. (It was true. There was actually a little frost on the inside panels. We really had intended to fix that gap at the top of the door....) If only you'd fixed that gap near the top of....
I know, I know. You don't have to become unhinged about it.
Who's unhinged? I merely mentioned that you might have done a menial repair and you recoil from my remark.
I just feel guilty about not fixing it, that's all. (I muttered something about having meant to fix it in the Spring.)
What? You're planning to fix my springs, too? Oh, I'm so glad. They're creaking something fierce. And how about the caulking? And maybe weather stripping?
I'll get to them, too. Really...I'll put them on my list. (I had a list? I had to switch gears fast or the requests might never have ended.) So, other than that, life's treating you well?
Oh, it has its ups and downs.
Look, first nice day and I promise I'll fix the gap. And the springs. Will that do?
Well, you'll at least be on the right track. It's a deal.
(I got in the car and hit the power button for the garage door opener. Squeaks and moans filled the garage as the door not-so-gently glided over my car.)
First nice day...I promise!
(It's funny, but as I backed out and lowered the door again, that gap actually seemed to resemble a hopeful smile.)
About Me
- Jude
- I’m writing this because years ago I had a scathingly brilliant idea for a novel and someone else beat me to it – Michael A. Stusser and his “The Dead Guy Interviews” (mine was going to be called “Mental Letters”). I also came up with “Teamonade,” and Snapple swiped that. We won’t even discuss Rachael Ray’s pinching my word “Stoup.” So, here’s my new idea before someone else steals it – conversations with inanimate objects (well, stuff that you don’t normally expect to hear from).
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