Matthew

Casey is spending the night with a friend tonight, so I immediately jumped on the chance to have Matthew, my nine-year-old grandson here alone.  That doesn’t happen too often.  Both grandchildren love some alone time with Grandma, but they both feel left out when one gets to come over and the other doesn’t.  So I usually have both, and they inevitably end up fighting and driving me crazy.  One time when Matthew was at the hospital for hours with a possible broken ankle, I was called upon to pick Casey up from a play date.  That worked for me. Casey and I would get some quality time together. Or so I thought.  My house happens to be on the way home from the hospital, and Matthew wanted to stop and show me his cast and crutch.  He ended up staying at my house that night, along with Casey.  I don’t have stairs, and he wasn’t ready to attempt them the first day with crutches.

So, tonight is Matthew’s night.  I didn’t figure on Xbox and his new found ability to talk to friends online through Xbox.  He is sitting in the same room with me, talking to four or five other friends, creating all sorts of worlds on Minecraft, speaking what seems to be a different language at times, or a different meaning to the same language:

There’s a griever!

Squids!

Pizzawizard, you are not on my team because you are not butter (said with laughter)

Spy resistance!

He’s a noob (new person, I’m told).

Dude, there’s a chest full of iron ingots!

Respawning

and on and on!

But, every so often, Matthew looks over at me (as I sit with my computer writing my slice) and smiles. And whispers “Hi”….and my heart melts. That’s enough for now. Tomorrow, we will talk over a breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and sausage, before church and a call to his friend down the street to come over and play.