I was up and out early this morning. Parker is still asleep. I walked to the corner for a newspaper and a coffee and brought them home with me, along with a triple shot mocha with extra chocolate syrup. Just thinking about it makes my teeth hurt but Parker likes it.
I'm sitting at our kitchen table, my feet up on a chair. I've just settled into my newspaper when Parker stumbles in. She pats me on the head and mumbles "Good morning". She spies the coffee cup on the counter. "For me?" "Yeah." "Thanks Alex" she says as she pulls herself up to sit on the counter. She sits quietly watching while I flip through my paper.
I come to an interesting ad. "Hey Parker?" "mmmm" she mumbles. "What do you think about me getting LASIK?" "Huh?" "You know. Laser eye surgery?" She nods. "Why?" The question surprises me. "Umm…So I don't have to wear my glasses all the time" I say as I take off my black rims for effect. "I like your glasses" she says. "Yeah but they're a pain. It would be so nice to be able to get up in the morning and be able to see." She just looks at me. I smile. "And I would be able to see after we go to bed too." That makes her smile.
She levers herself off the counter. As she walks by she says "I suppose if you want to. But there's no way I would let anyone burn a hole in my eyeball." I watch her fuzzy image leave the room. I look back to the eye clinic ad in the paper. I give a bit of a shrug then fold the papers back together. I grab my cup as I stand. As I leave the kitchen, I slip my glasses back on and smile as Parker comes back into focus.