NEW COLLECTION

“Uh oh!” I said as I pushed the order button.

“What’s the uh oh for?” My son Alex asked from the kitchen.

“I might have just started another collection.” I moved the laptop off my lap and headed to the kitchen.

“A collection of what?” He asked.

I walked by him as he was making a sandwich and opened the refrigerator to grab some grapes.

“A marble collection.” I leaned back against the counter and popped a grape in my mouth.

“Marbles?”

“It’s really not my fault.” I reasoned. “Remember when your Dad and I went out to dinner at Riki’s house last week?”

“Yeah.” He scooped his sandwich up and headed to the dining room.

“Well, it so happens that she collects marbles.” I said as I followed him into the dining room with my handful of grapes. “Lots of them! They’re all over her house in glass jars on bookshelves or tables and the really special ones are displayed in a smaller collection.”

“So you felt like you needed to copy her?” Alex laughed.

“What? No!” I was taken back. “That’s not what I meant at all!”

“Because they were beautiful!” I popped another grape in my mouth. “I’d always thought of marbles like the ones you’d get in the mesh bag of fifty.” I shrugged my shoulders. “I guess you could call them pretty with the colors swirled inside. But the ones Riki had were little works of art!”

“So then why are you collecting them?” He took a bite of his sandwich.

My husband Steven had come into the room. “What works of art are you talking about?”

“Riki’s marble collection.”

Alex looked over at his Dad and started to laugh. “Mom’s starting a marble collection now.”

“Wait.” Steven looked back at me. “When we downsized you swore you weren’t going to start any new collections!”

I smiled back at him. “That’s absolutely true!” I started to laugh. “I’ve decided I’m not going to be starting any new collections.”

Steven shook his head looking confused. “I don’t understand.”

Alex had finished his sandwich and got up from the table. “Okay. I’m with Dad on this one.” He opened the cabinet where the garbage pail was and tossed the paper towel from his sandwich in. “Didn’t you just say you ordered some marbles?”

“I did.” I nodded. “Some absolutely beautiful antique ones.” I added.

“So you are starting a new collection.” Steven said.

“Well…” I scrunched up my face. “Technically I’m not the one starting this collection.” I pointed at him and laughed. “You are.”

Steven shook his head. “How’d you figure that?”

“You said you didn’t know what to get me for Christmas so I ordered something I wanted and you can wrap it up for me and put it under the tree.” I clapped my hands together and laughed. “ And I promise I’ll look surprised when I open it!”