Marley's Ghost

Breaking into the Josephson family is no easy feat. Especially when it involves dating the only girl in the family – Brita. Early in our dating relationship, when I was trying my best to successfully navigate the family gauntlet, Jimbo said to me, “Maybe we can have a beer later tonight and talk”. “Well sure Jimbo”, I said. What did I have to fear, “Let’s definitely do that”. Well, 9PM turned to 11PM and no Jimbo. 11PM turned to 1AM and no Jimbo. Finally, I went to bed in that little back bedroom at Betty & Bob’s house that can only be accessed by going through…you guessed it…Jimbo’s bedroom. As is always the case in stories like this (you’ve seen the movies, right?), getting into that room is not a problem, but getting out is a complete crapshoot. Sometime well after all the sane people had gone to bed, I heard a rattling coming from the stairway. Not being familiar with the house, I had no idea what was happening. The rattling grew louder, a little like the chains worn by Marley’s Ghost in “A Christmas Carol”. Only one problem, this noise gets louder and louder and then there is a knock on my bedroom door. “Yeah” I say in my best early morning been-awake-all-night voice. “Hey, Tom…,you asleep?”. “No Jim, come on in”, says I. The door opens and in comes Jimbo, not covered with the chains of Marley’s Ghost but with two fistfuls of beer. “Thought that we could still have that talk if you’re up for it”, says Jimbo. I have no clear recollection of the rest of that night, but the next morning when I woke there were beer bottles on the floor and Jimbo’s stereo was still on. As I tiptoed past his bed I looked over at him and there he was in all of his Jimboness…lying diagonally across his bed…white T shirt, white underwear and curiously one white sock. What we discussed that night was never discussed again, but I guess that I passed the test. There was no one better.