Next Sign Of The Death Of The Store

It's very, very difficult to wake up knowing that you don't have anywhere specific to go, yet have a to-do list that needs to get around eventually. I don't have any pressing need to wake up, but there's stuff to do that needs to get done, so you have to get up and do it -- when, well, I don't know.

That kind of was the deal yesterday. I wish I had a whole day ahead of me all to myself, but the impending closing of The Store, and Grandmother's declining health, were things at the back of my mind. What I decided to do -- because Grandmother woke me up earlier in the morning -- was to help her get the laundry that I've accumulated in my room over the last two weeks downstairs. I've been avoiding it partially because I'm still afraid the dirty water cleaning the clothes will get backed up and eventually flood the laundry room; I checked late last week and there's still standing water in the standpipe.

And sure enough, I check back near the end of the wash and there's a couple inches of water in the laundry room. I open the grate and reach my hand into it to pull out what could be stopping the water; no swirl indicating a drain at all.

I had no choice. My Father always gets angry when Grandmother uses the washer and this happens. He claims that her washing half-loads is the problem; that's the other reason why I've been hoarding dirty clothes in my bedroom. But now, with me pushing the button on a full load of my laundry, this shit still happens. It shouldn't.

So I call Father. He says it's fine and just to wait half an hour. I couldn't just leave and go to The Store, which was my plan at the time (since it is the afternoon and, you know, I should do something), so I stayed at home and surfed the Internet to wait until the water goes down.

Well, after 30 minutes it still didn't, so I call My Father again. He says he might have to get something at Home Depot, but give it some more time. This is Father at his most passive. OK, whatever -- if he's not going to sweat it, I won't. He tells me the dryer now works, so I help Grandmother and may aunt put the clothes in the dryer -- avoiding the standing water as I reach around the washing machine.

At that point, I felt my work was done there, so to speak. It was the last day of the McDonald's Monopoly promotion, so I headed out at 1 (late for lunch, I think) and was told at two Mickey D's that they have no more Monopoly pieces. No reason to eat lunch then.

So at the second McD's parking lot I call Father and tell him I'm coming in. "Why?," he says, "There's no business here. Where are you right now?"

I knew that if I told My Father I was at home, he would want me to stay home. That's the out I gave him ... and myself. So I just lied: "I'm at home right now."

"Well stay home," he replied. He asked why I would come and I told him I wanted to help out, but I didn't put up that much of a fight.

So I didn't go to The Store. But I didn't go home, either. I had my excuse to drive 20 miles to get Playboy's College Girls Issue.

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Last night Mother gave me some spreadsheet data she wants me to type into the computer. Translation: You shouldn't come to The Store. It's like they're pushing me away.