THE STRANGER - bit of a classic
Posted by: prophetic <prophetic@...>
"The STRANGER"
-author unknown.
Years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our
small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this
enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family.
The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.
As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my
young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were
complementary instructors: Mum taught me good from evil, and
Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger... he was our storyteller.
He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures,
mysteries and comedies.
If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he
always knew the answers about the past, understood the present
and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to
the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made
me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.
Sometimes, Mum would get up quietly while the rest of us were
shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she
would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she
ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)
Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the
stranger never felt obligated to honour them. Profanity, for example,
was not allowed in our home - not from us, our friends or any
visitors. Our long time visitor, however, got away with four-letter
words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my
mother blush. My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol but
the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made
cigarettes look cool, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished. He
talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were
sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing..
I now know that my early concepts about relationships were
influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed
the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... And
NEVER asked to leave.
More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with
our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating
as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den
today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for
someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.
His name???
We just call him "TV." I really fear what his grandkids will be like.
(Note: He has a wife now... we call her "Computer."
Their first child is "Cell Phone."
Second child "I Pod."
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