Eleven

I have cousins who lives in town.   Emily, Bob, and Wally.    They're all younger than me, but I get along with them pretty well.    I see them about once a month.

Emily is fourteen, Bob is eleven, and Wally is seven.  

My aunt and uncle did well with their RePop requirements; and rumor has it they might try for more. Then they'll get the Green Card Plus.  You get all kinds of cool benefits with that.

Aunt Jan and Uncle George are very different from my parents.  They're so enthusiastic about their children.   Their walls are covered with my cousin's drawings.   If they make some silly clay thing at school; it's prominently displayed in their living room.

I wouldn't be completely surprised if they record my cousins' farts for prosperity.

It can be annoying.

However I'd rather have them than my own parents.

My parents are never excited about anything I do.

They've never hung up my drawings on the wall.   I used to give them my clay art work from school.   My mom would say "Fantastic!"  Then it would get shoved in a drawer.   Once I caught my mom spring cleaning.  She was busy and didn't want to be bothered.  When she looked the other way, I peaked into the trash.   My clay art was in there.

It hurt my feelings, but I didn't protest.  I can't say I made anything that fantastic.

But still….

It would be nice to have parents like Jan and George.

I guess it's good I have them as an aunt and uncle.   When I was young I drew a picture while they were babysitting me for a weekend.   They hung it up on the wall.   It's still there.   They didn't throw it away during their spring cleaning.  Sometimes I'm tempted to draw them another picture.   Maybe they'd put that on the wall as well.  But it seems too childish to do that.

Back to my parents….

I give them gifts for their birthday and all the holidays where it's expected.   I don't know why I bother.  They thank me.  They say the gift is wonderful.  Then I never see it again.   I bought my mom a really nice necklace for her last birthday.   I thought for sure this time would be an exception.

Nope. 

I've never seen her wear it.  

It's all a waste really.

I don't have a job.  My money is my allowance which comes from them.  I'm really taking their money and buying them stuff they don't want.  

Then they buy me stuff I don't want.

My mom buys me these really random things that have nothing to do with me.

For my last birthday she bought me this huge book about birds.  Since when do I care about birds?   Of course I would have much rather have had a book about zombies.

She also bought me high heels.  She said I need practice walking in them.

Yes.  Exciting.

My dad never buys me anything.  If he gives me a gift; it's something he got for free from work.   His company makes pens for other companies.   So I have a large collection of pens with various company logos on them.

A few years ago his company did a deal with Z Patrol.   I was excited about getting that pen.   

But I didn't.

My dad said it turned out there weren't any extras.

Speaking of holidays.  Today is October 31.  Halloween.

In the old days that used to mean something.

Now it really doesn't.

Not one person mentioned it at school. 

Of course they did away with it because of the zombie thing.  Why celebrate pretend monsters when you have real monsters?

But now we don't have monsters.   Or at least we don't have a lot of them.   So I think we should go back to doing Halloween things.