Page 44 of Pete and His Precious

That would be a good word to describe how I feel. Content.

Although I know as a Christian, I’m supposed to be content in whatever situation I find myself. I’m extra content right now. Because that’s just how I feel when I’m with Pete.

“So, you think you might be able to make it over tomorrow evening?” Pete asks, and it sounds like he’s been turning that over in his mind, waiting for the right moment to ask.

I almost smile at the thought. He’s not a bashful person, but he also isn’t pushy either.

I like that balance he has.

“Yes. I definitely will be over. Since I get off at the diner so early, I’ll be able to come home and do a little bit of recording.”

“I thought you said your book was done.”

“It is. I don’t have another project lined up, but I’ve been recording public domain books, and putting those up on my social media channels. It doesn’t make me a ton of money, but it’s almost enough to buy groceries every month.”

“Wow. Which public domain book are you doing?”

“The Scarlet Pimpernel. I’ve enjoyed practicing my accent for it. I don’t know if I have it nailed down, but I’ll find out assoon as I get the first few chapters up, and people start leaving comments.”

“How many viewers do you have?” he asks, sounding extremely interested.

“Well I have a couple thousand subscribers, but I have more views than I have subscribers.”

“Yeah. I don’t always subscribe to channels, even though I like to watch them. I just... Don’t bother. I’m not sure why.”

“Same. And I even have a channel myself. I’m not sure why I’m so hesitant to hit the subscribe button. Maybe because I don’t want to get everything all jumbled up, and subscribe to channels I don’t really want to watch.”

“Yeah. That might be why, sometimes social media just gets overwhelming.”

“True. But I am trying to supplement my living with it, so I can’t complain too much. Plus, I’m hopeful that maybe someday someone from Hollywood will hear me, somewhere, on social media, or some other venue, and think that my voice is perfect for some kind of animation.”

“I guess you’ll move out of here and head to Hollywood when that happens?” he asks, and maybe it’s my imagination, but he does not sound happy about it.

“I guess I’ll have to cross that bridge when I come to it. I haven’t thought that far ahead. I just think that at that point in time, I won’t have to worry about paying rent or buying groceries, and that seems so luxurious I can hardly imagine it.”

“So funny, because your family has plenty of money. You could just move back in, couldn’t you?” he asks, and I hesitate.

I guess I hadn’t meant to go on about how poor I was. If I had been remembering the lectures I had given myself it was that I didn’t want him to find out how ridiculously inept I am at taking care of myself

“I suppose I could. I wasn’t kicked out of the house or anything. My parents are not favoring Kylie and leaving me out in the cold.”

“Okay. That’s reassuring. Because I was starting to worry that maybe they were.”

“No. Not at all. They would take me back in a heartbeat, and I kind of think that they would like that. But, I... I like the challenge I guess,” I say, not really sure how to explain it. “I do think that kids should stay with their parents until their married. That’s so old-fashioned, and almost laughable in our society.”

“Really, it is, but I understand where you’re coming from. I don’t think that it’s normal for kids to move out and to live on their own. Just my opinion.”

“Yeah. We’ve made it normal, but it’s not the way society is really supposed to be. You move out of your home when you get married. Not move out of your home into a home of your own, then try to make everything work on your own.”

“Yeah. I agree completely.”

“Would you move back in with your parents?” I ask, since I seem to be in the hot seat, and he’s agreeing with everything I say, but he’s living alone.

“They moved to an over fifty-five community. I couldn’t move back in with them if I wanted to. But, sometimes I wonder if maybe they would have stayed in the house that I grew up in, if I hadn’t moved out, you know?”

“Yeah. I think sometimes kids moving out is a relief to parents, but if you raise them right, your losing a lot when your kids move out.”

“Yeah exactly, I suppose the way we raise kids is different today than it used to be, and you’re right. So many parents are actually relieved to find their kids gone.”

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