Stranger In The House

Years before 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.This 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 answer about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took our 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 hushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for quiet and peace. 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 visitors. Our long time visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my Dad squirm and my Mom blush.

My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol but the stranger encouraged us to try it on regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished. He even 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 this stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked.... and NEVER asked to leave.

More than forty years have passed since this stranger moved into our community. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first.Still, if you could walk into my parent's den today, you could still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him and watch him draw his pictures.

His name?.............We just call him 'TV'

Stranger YEARS AGO

He has a wife now...... We call her 'Computer'

Their first child is "Cellphone"

Second child is "iPod"

And just born last year was a grandchild "IPAD"






culled from a magazine

Stranger PRESENT DAY

Oh my! HOW TRUE THIS IS!!!!