Shopping and Dropping

And then later, after the souvenirs have all been purchased and the snow has stopped and the kids and I are planning where to eat dinner, Scott texts again.

"Did Pat find a gun? Lol?"

How did he know? I guess he just knows. That's what two years gets you. Someone else finds your kids as predictable as you do.

He asks about the antique shop we'd been to together. Off the beaten path. Loaded floor to ceiling with cool historical stuff. War knives, guns, pins, bullets, artifacts. Regrettably, I have to tell him, it is closed. Seems like things have changed for everybody since our last visit. Not just me and Scott.

But, changing to a brighter topic, I tell him we were successful in another store. Pat got the coveted gun that met all of his criteria and mine. I shelled out way too much money for it, but Pat agreed to pay half. Pat agreed that if the gun ever left the house for any reason it would become garbage the following day. The shopkeeper reinforced my message with a strong message of his own about safety and realistic looking guns and the split second an officer has to determine if your gin will be used to kill him before he kills you. Nice guy. Seemed like a good parent. Pat seemed to take him seriously. Since his own mother has clearly lost her marbles.

Pat wants to send Scott a picture of his prized possession and we send it. Hil holds up her dress so we can send a shot of that too. It reminds me of when I was a kid and we'd return from shopping and dash into the house to show my Dad all our cool stuff. (The stuff that didn't stay hidden in the trunk until my mother could sneak it in by dark of night.)

Scott is as excited as my Dad always pretended to be. He asks if I got the dress too and I tell him it looked ridiculous on me. He comments that he thinks it would be "hot" and I change the subject. Tell him about my jewelry purchases. Safe topic. Doesn't involve calling up any obvious images of thighs or cleavage.

Scott tells me that he would have been happy with a beer and a game of pool with a pretty girl.

I don't exactly know what to say. So I send a smiley face icon.

And immediately think it was the wrong thing to have done.