The Trash Bag Gets Smaller For Father

Think I noticed this last year, or the year before, or maybe the year before that, I don't know.  For a trash can, we use a pail -- you know, one of those white pails that street drummers use to drum.  We put a plastic bag in that trash can, and the pail we have fits the plastic bag almost perfectly, so you can tell how big the pail is.

Anyway, I can go weeks by myself and not fill it up.  But when my parents are here and cooking, they are chucking a bag nightly.  But I noticed something in recent years when I threw something into the trash can and the thing I throw away lands with a light "bonk" and doesn't sink to the bottom of the bag like I thought it would.  When I peer into the trash can to investigate, I saw that I could see the bottom of the bag a lot closer to the top of the pail than I would expect.

I then lift the bag that's inside the pail.  And what's there is some plastic container -- think a bowl of instant ramen, or something tofu comes in (OK, these are shitty images that might not resonate with you, bear with me) at the bottom of the pail.  My parents have put this thing underneath the bag to push up the bag's bottom.  Why?  No damn clue.  Well, I have two theories, both stemming from My Father's old age: Either it's very hard for him to bend down and grab the whole bag, or the bag fully filled would be too heavy for him to lift.  But as old as he is, he still has the ability to move his joints, and the bag would weigh a maximum of five pounds.  Those are the only guesses as to why my folks would put an object inside the trash can, but they are pretty bad guesses.

So, I don't know why.  I just think that's weird.  And I hope that, if I ever get around to asking them, and the reason does have to do with my old man's old age, I won't break down and cry over how enfeebled he has become.