Dinner Table

Murray taped three shows today. Someone did the honorable thing, which never happens. Led to an interesting showdown. Ronnie took the car in for the recall stuff, found a Honda umbrella for Bubber at the parts window. Bubber does not want the spaghetti. The baby is eating a lot of spaghetti and putting it in her diaper also. Bubber has to put his feet down. Ronnie has discussed Bubber’s performance with her mother and her mother was gently recalling the fact that Bubber is five and no one had expected Murray to be perfect at five. Murray wonders how Ronnie’s mother knows what was expected of him when he was five years old, and Ronnie thinks she may have extrapolated. Ronnie coughs. Murray shivers. Bubber has to put his feet down or his supper will be taken away. Bubber will not eat the sauce, will not eat the meat, does not want anything to be touching his noodles. Murray has a little makeup still on the side of his nose. Murray has to get a haircut soon. Murray should never wear that purple tie again, it is hideous and should be taken out and shot. What was everyone thinking? The baby would like a drink of juice. The baby is done eating and is covered in spaghetti sauce. Everyone is done but Bubber. Bubber will never be done because he is peeling the sauce off his spaghetti, elbow by elbow. Bubber can jolly well stay at the table until his plate is clean. If his tummy is full he can put his plate in the sink, but no chocolate egg. The baby waves red saucy arms and legs on her way down from the high chair. Bubber sits like a malignancy. Bubber’s shock of orange hair and Murray’s shock of orange hair are in adjacent places at the table. Ronnie’s sheaf of dark hair is across from Murray. The baby’s orange fuzz is crawling around on the floor. The parents will wait until the child has finished his food. The child’s chair is on fire. He can’t sit still. He needs help to eat. He doesn’t want his plate taken away. He wants to eat the odious spaghetti and get the chocolate egg. Ronnie eats a chocolate egg meditatively in front of him, gives the last sliver to the baby. Murray and Bubber are Murray Sr. and Murray Jr.