Jason Laughed

Flash Fiction

Jason Laughed

“Jason! Where are you?” came Dad’s loud voice from the garage. Jason froze, yelling meant serious.

“I’m here,” he said from the doorway that led into the kitchen.

“Where is that roll of wire that used to be on my table. It was right here.”

“I didn’t take it,” Jason said.

“Well, I know I left it on my table. Where else would it have gone?”

“Mum.”

“What would your mother need with wire?”

“She didn’t say, she just asked where it was…”

“And it was on the table?”

“Yes, remember you got it out last week for something?”

Suddenly remembering he did, and put it on the table when he was done… Dad said, “Oh yeah! What a great memory you have!”

Jason smiled. He had taken some wire to play with, but really it had been there on the table the whole time, Dad put it there after he used it last. “What did she want it for?” Dad asked.

“Something to do with the garbage, I don’t know.”

“Oh,” Dad said, now quieter.

Curious now, Jason asked, “What were you going to do with it?”

“Ah, fix the garbage container… Do you know if she already did it?”

“Yes… it was fixed last week after she asked me where the wire was… I guess she fixed it?”

“Oh,”

“Well,” Jason said, suddenly talking exactly the way Dad talked sometimes, “she may be waiting for you to notice that it’s fixed… to surprise you.”

“I guess I better go notice it!” Dad said, smiling at his smart son.

“See ya later,” Jason said, “Maybe we can have something Mom doesn’t have to cook tonight ??”

“Good idea…” Dad said as he walked into the house, wondering when his baby boy had become an adult.

Jason laughed.