I called my brother this afternoon on my way home from work. I do this almost every day and I generally wait for one of several responses on the other end. The most "normal" response occurs if there are friends over. If that is the case, I get short, one syllable responses in an exceptionally deep voice. "Hey." "Sure." "Yeah." I can generally tell if someone is there and I can ask if they are behaving themselves.
Sometimes I call and all I get is "Meow."
"How was school today?"
"Meow."
"Do you have a lot of homework tonight?"
"Meow. Meow."
Today I called and I got another fairly normal response.
. . . ring . . . . ring
"Bring me a snack!"
"Hello. How are you today? No, I am not bringing you a snack."
"Please bring me a snack?"
"Hi Willie. No, I am not bringing you a snack."
"Pleeeeeeaaaase?"
. . . this conversation continued for a while until it changed into something I haven't heard before. He started singing the Bonanza theme song. "Ba ba da ba ba da ba ba buh!" After a minute or so, it changed to Godspell. "Pre-e-e-pare ye the way of the Lord."
He wouldn't shut up. He continued forever. I listened for quite some time until I finally just said, "Willie, I'm hanging up now."
"Pre-e-e-pare ye the way of the Lord."
"Bye Willie. I'm really hanging up now."
"Pre-e-e-pare ye."
"Ok. I'm hanging up now."
"Pre-e-e"
Click.
I guess he was okay. He never did say. At one point he stopped singing to tell me that he got suspended for "play fighting" at school. Yeah right. He wouldn't dare. And if he did, the last thing he'd be doing would be singing to me on the phone. He'd probably be sitting in a corner somewhere with his behind black and blue. He is definitely a crazy boy, but we like him. We'll keep him!
