kat8585 Posted May 9, 2009 Group: Royal Member Followers: 3 Topic Count: 1,360 Topics Per Day: 0.21 Content Count: 7,866 Content Per Day: 1.24 Reputation: 26 Days Won: 0 Joined: 11/22/2006 Status: Offline Birthday: 04/18/1946 Share Posted May 9, 2009 The Stranger This is very interesting and not the ending I had expected!!!! A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small Texas 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: Mom 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, Mom 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 honor them.. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home... Not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our longtime 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. (Note:This should be required reading for every household in America!) He has a wife now....We call her 'Computer.' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fudgical Posted May 9, 2009 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 31 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 442 Content Per Day: 0.08 Reputation: 3 Days Won: 0 Joined: 03/08/2009 Status: Offline Share Posted May 9, 2009 He has a wife now....We call her 'Computer.' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glorywatch Posted May 9, 2009 Group: Royal Member Followers: 2 Topic Count: 88 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 692 Content Per Day: 0.12 Reputation: 2 Days Won: 0 Joined: 06/02/2008 Status: Offline Birthday: 03/02/1946 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Thank you for sharing that story. It is really interesting and for me, not what I expected either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorningGlory Posted May 9, 2009 Group: Royal Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 1,022 Topics Per Day: 0.16 Content Count: 39,193 Content Per Day: 6.11 Reputation: 9,977 Days Won: 78 Joined: 10/01/2006 Status: Offline Share Posted May 9, 2009 That guy's only welcome in my house on occasion and then he is only allowed to speak what I want to hear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blien Posted May 9, 2009 Group: Royal Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 346 Topics Per Day: 0.06 Content Count: 3,050 Content Per Day: 0.50 Reputation: 46 Days Won: 3 Joined: 10/02/2007 Status: Offline Birthday: 08/26/1982 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Fantastic story! Thanks for sharing it!! I'm going to share it too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Openly Curious Posted May 10, 2009 Group: Royal Member Followers: 4 Topic Count: 55 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 4,568 Content Per Day: 0.68 Reputation: 770 Days Won: 0 Joined: 01/18/2006 Status: Offline Share Posted May 10, 2009 Brillant all the way you can see the brilliance of it. OC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thunderbyrd Posted May 12, 2009 Group: Junior Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 4 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 105 Content Per Day: 0.02 Reputation: 2 Days Won: 0 Joined: 12/28/2005 Status: Offline Share Posted May 12, 2009 GREAT POST! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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