The Keepsake

KEEPSAKE

         "You threw away my Royal portable? How could you do that?"

         "It doesn't work anymore."

         "It works."

         "It's a typewriter! You can't even get ribbons for it."

         "I don't know that. I haven't tried."

         "So you just want to be ready in case the twentieth century comes back? You have a computer now! What to you need with a typewriter?"

         "That typewriter has memories for me."

         "How many bytes?"

         "You know what I mean. I used that typewriter all through college. I wrote love letters on it."

         "You typed love letters?"

         "Anything wrong with that?"

         "Well you aren't married to your college honey, are you? I didn't know you, when you were at college. Who did you type love letters to?"

         "I typed letters to you."

         "No you didn't."

         "Well anyway, I wanted to keep that typewriter. I don't know why you threw out my property without asking."

         "I did ask and you said all right."

         "When did you ask?"

         "You were sitting right there and I asked you about getting rid of some things and you said all right."

         "I couldn't have."

         "Well you did."

         "Wait a minute. What was on the TV at the time?"

         "I don't know. Something about grown men skating around with hockey sticks and people throwing their hats on the ice."

         "I was watching the game! It was a very exciting game, I didn't hear what you were saying!"

         "And this can prevent a man from hearing what is being said to him ?"

         "This isn't about the hockey game; it's about you throwing out my belongings when I'm not looking. Has the trash been picked up yet?"

         "Yes."

         "How long ago?"

         "Since I threw out the typewriter? I don't know, that was last December."

         "And you didn't tell me about it until now?"

         "You didn't miss it until now?"

         "It's not like I use it."

         "Exactly, why keep it if you don't use it?"

         "It wasn't in the way. That typewriter and I spent hours together."

         "You make it sound like an old girl friend."

         "I wrote a lot of great stuff on that typewriter. It was just sitting in the back of the closet; it wasn't in the way or anything."

         "How long since you used it?"

         "I don't know. When did I get the computer?"

         "The first computer? 1997."

         "That's only ~~ nine years ago."

         "Good thing I didn't wait any later to throw it out; you'd of run out of fingers. Look you didn't even miss the thing since a year ago last December, It didn't work, you can't get ribbons for it any more so why did you want to keep it?"

         "Can't you understand? It was a piece of my life."

         "A broken typewriter with no ribbon is a piece of your life?"

         "I might have been able to get it fixed. I might have been able to get ribbons."

         "And then what would you do with it? Get it bronzed?"

         "I bet you're hanging on to an old thing that's outdated and obsolete."

         "Yes I am."

         "Well why don't you throw that out?"

         "Because I love you."