Last night, Anne and I took our friend out to dinner for his birthday. We invited Nolan to come with us, but he said it would be "boring grown-up talking" and even though he loved us, he'd rather hang out at home.
Allow me to translate: "Wait, I can go with three lame adults to a restaurant, or I can stay home, listen to music as loud as I want, and play Xbox the whole time? You guys have fun, and don't worry about hurrying back on my account."
When we pulled into the driveway after dinner, I could hear very loud rock music coming from the house.
"That sounds like Wave of Mutilation," I said. "I love that he's listening to the Pixies!"
I opened the door, and saw that Nolan wasn't just listening to the Pixies. He was playing the Pixies on Rock Band. The song ended as I closed the door behind me and walked into our living room.
Anne said, "Will you come back to our bedroom and help me fold clothes?"
"Yeah," I said. "I'll be right there."
I turned to Nolan.
"What the hell?" I said.
At this point, I should back up a little bit. I ask Nolan to play Rock Band with me every day, and every day he says he doesn't want to, because it's not that fun for him. I know, I know, I'm doing my best to correct this egregious defect in his personality, but I think we all remember how clinically insane we all were when we were his age.
"What?" Nolan said, innocently.
"I ask you every day to play Rock Band with me, and you always say you don't want to play because it isn't fun."
He put the drumsticks in his lap -- oh, yeah, he was playing drums, which is my instrument -- and deadpanned "Well, I'm not having any fun."
"I'm personally hurt," I said as melodramatically as I could. I put my hand over my heart. I sniffed. I pushed out my bottom lip.
I sighed, heavily.
"Would you like to play together?" He said.
"Heck yes I would!"
I ran to the back of the house.
"Hey," I said to Anne, "Is it okay if --"
"Did you want to rock out together before we put away the clothes?"
"Yeah," I said, "Nolan and I were -- wait. Together?"
"I need more cowbell," she said.
And that is how, for the next hour, the three of us played Rock Band. Together. On a school night.
