Monopoly

I was back in Canada for ten days this past Christmas and New Year's. On Boxing Day, the 18th Letter and I went to play glow-in-the-dark mini putt at Putting Edge. After our game was over, we played pop-a-shot, and then the R murdered some bugs in Alien: Extermination.

After that, we had some time, so we went over to Indigo to browse. And there we decided that we'd combine each of our 10-dollar gift cards to buy Monopoly.

Best decision ever.

My phone got screwy, no SIM card, apparently, so I couldn't call home for a lift (I would have driven, but I didn't apply for an int'l driving permit), and R had left her phone at home. So we walked back.

Best decision ever.

It was cold, but not too cold (it was hellishly windy, though). The walk home was probably 4-5 kilometers, and we just chatted about stuff. I have a thousand fond memories of the times I've spent with my daughter, and that walk home has to rank in the top 10. No, 5.

Going home is weird for me. I grew up in Burlington, but I've spent the last 15 years in Korea. Everything looks so small there; there are no apartment blocks that obstruct the sky. Everything is so spread out.

So we walked and talked, me carrying a plastic bag that contained our Monopoly board, and R telling me everything. As we walked, I saw the neighborhood where I grew up through her eyes. Some things had changed, but overall it wasn't that different.

That's what growing older is, right? Fashions go in and out of style, and makeup styles might stamp a period on the era, but underneath not a lot changes. The street I walked up as a thirty-six-year-old father wasn't grossly different from the one I used to walk home on as a grade-school boy.

When we got home, we opened up the game. The 18th Letter was eager to play, and play we did.

I won't bore you with the details of the games we played (however fun or remarkable they were, and always following the rules), but I must say this: If there is a heaven, I hope they have Monopoly. We can take turns being the banker. And you can choose your piece. Just don't pick the cat; the cat always falls over.

GO.