In the World of MaxieC

The Mrs. put out on the coffee table a bowl of Christmas nuts. Christmas nuts, you say? Yes. An assortment of nuts: walnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, something that looks like acorns without the tops (possibly Barcelona hazelnuts), and pecans. In the shell, of course, as that's what makes them Christmasy.

MaxieC dragged me over there to eat them, as he finds them fascinating given that he can rarely crack one open even with the nutcrackers. He didn't actually want to eat any himself; he just wanted to watch me open them and eat them.

Well, eating Christmas nuts is thirsty work, so by and by I said to MaxieC, "Hey, I need a beers. In the fridge in the garage, on the door, there are bottles of beer. Can you bring me one?"

He dashed off, quite happy, as he recognizes that fetching me a beers is a task generally handled by his older sister. Thus, it is a badge of honor and big-boyhood to be trusted to fetch a beers. And not just a can of beers, but an actual glass bottle.

He came back all excited with the beer in one hand and the opener that hangs on the wall next to the garage fridge in the other.

"Look Da! I even brought you the opener from the garage so you can open it!"

"Thanks, son. You know, I have an opener in my pocket, as all men do, so it wasn't really necessary to bring it. But that one works much better, so thank you for thinking of it."

I quickly release my Isolation Ale from its cold prison. Than I hand MaxieC the opener and say, "Can you put this back, now? Oh, and you can keep this bottle cap. Here, I'll put it in your pocket for you."

I stuffed the cap into the pocket of his overalls. And then, out of nowhere, my son was transformed. He get these big eyes, like he'd just seen the real Santa Claus, and he said in a voice of wonderment, "Wow Da! It's like a dream come true!"

Then he went running off, "I have a beer top pocket! I have a beer top pocket! ..."