I leaned across my two nephews while the lights slowly came up and I said to my sis on the other side of them, “Hey Beck, how is it that this place is so dusty?” as I wiped the corner of my eye. Or maybe it was corners suddenly being in a round eye poking me, or possibly a very sad story about sad stuff with sad people struck me right at that moment or … whatever, just something to explain a few tears. Good tears though as the credits for “The Sheep Detectives” rolled and I waited for the cast list to see exactly who spoke the words that came out of which sheep (at least the voices I couldn’t quite place).

I definitely knew though, that we were 2 for 2 for winners on Movie Fridays now, my sis and my nephews, Jake and Matt and myself. Well, sorry, hold the post train there replete with sudden record scratch sound and let me amend that. Technically only 1 for 1 as the first “Movie Friday” was just Beck, Jake and me, minus Matt, though that was a totally unintentional miscommunication and was remedied the next day when Jake, to lift a newfound burden of guilt, said he would be A-OK with seeing the movie again and that he would go with Matt.

You see, being the sci-fi geek that I am, I had been really wanting to see “Project Hail Mary” but in a theatre, I just couldn’t wait for it to get to me in my room, in a basement, on a stream, with just cats for company. I love ‘em of course but they’re not really the ones you grab and say “Hey, who wants to go see a movie?!” They’re more “Hey, who wants breakfast, or dinner or treats or belly rubs” with the cracking of cans or the shaking of Temptations bags or the big show of cat pre-belly jazz hands, plus there’s probably rules against bringing them to a theatre and cat pre-belly jazz hands in public or something anyway. Freakin’ man!! Always keepin’ ya down!!

Then I took this want a step further and thought to ask my sis and the boys if they’d like to join me (sci-fi geeks unite!), a night out for the four of us and then we could talk about it later as opposed to me watching something, then telling them about it and seeing their interested humoring Steve reactions (bless them, they’ve gotten really good at these interested humoring Steve reactions in response to things I say, or poetry I send) and them then telling me how they’ve been waiting to watch that, or “wow’s” about how that sounds really cool and they’ll definitely be catching that soon and … yadda yadda yadda. You know how the rest of it goes. I’m just eventually the guy in my room, in a basement, on a stream, that watched something alone again with just cats for company until it’s replaced by the next thing I watch alone and rinse and repeat (well not the cats, they hate water and do self maintenance).

Though I am very good at watching things alone, I’ve gotten even better at it over the last number of years as a matter of fact, including going to the movies by myself, I thought it would be nice to have someone reacting to something along with me for a change (not just curling up and purring on my ankle) and maybe even quietly saying “yes!” together at a good part or “aarrgghhing” together at bad one or laughing in tandem at funny parts and then having someone to talk to about it later minus those sad “humoring Steve” looks.

(on phone a few Fridays ago) “Hey Beck, I’m almost done here what are you and the boys doing tonight? Wanna go see a movie? My treat?”

Beck: Sure, here’s Jake, ask him

Jake: Yeeeeessssss?

Me: Project Hail Mary, wanna go see it?

Jake: Hell yeah!!

Me: What about Matt? Where’s he at?

Jake: Oh, he’s out

Me: (a bit disappointed) Ok well, alright, then what about me, you and your Mom?

Jake: Still hell yeah!

Me: Cool, movie is at 7:15. I’m leaving work in 5. And it’s on me, tickets and popcorn

I’d been wanting to do something for everyone for a little while as life has had some rough or … interesting patches you could say, over the last four months or so for me and the three of them have been real heroes in giving me some much needed company and moral support assists.

But, in that quick phone back and forth lies the reason why, technically, we’re not 2 for 2 on winning Movie Fridays, the four of us, because of Jake saying of Matt “Oh, he’s out” when I asked where he was and Beck sort of concurring with this Matt is “out” thing by, I guess, just going with us.

Me? I thought Matt being “out” meant he was, ya know, OUT, like for the evening, with friends or something. No, seems Matt is “out” means, to the two of them, he’s “out” driving, delivering for Grub Hub, in his car, on basically his own schedule, with a phone readily available that can be called to ask if he wants to cut the driving short and go with us to see a movie … a call that was NOT made by the way.

I didn’t know any of this until after the movie when Beck told me that Matt had texted she and Jake while we were about halfway through the film asking where everybody was. Wow, talk about instant guilt, though on Beck and Jake’s part, this guilt shit was NOT on me, though I did feel awful, to the point where we had to stop at an ATM on the way home so I could get cash to give to Jake to pay for Matt as Jake, as I mentioned up top, immediately thought to cast aside his guilt by saying he would gladly go see the movie again the next day.

I told him it had to be as soon as possible to also alleviate the guilt I was now feeling just by proximity.  

Beck? She didn’t get off so easy as her guilt just gnawed at her and pretty much ruined the second half of the movie while she just wallowed in the knowledge of Matt’s abandonment by his formerly attentive, loving Mother in a cold, dark, silent, empty, loveless and blockbuster sci-fi flick bereft house.   

But since Jake did take Matt to see it as quickly as he did I’m still going to say that we are 2 for 2 on Movie Fridays and on our way home from the sheep filled second one we passed a bowling alley I didn’t know was there (I’m still discovering parts of Schenectady). Maybe that can be a Friday thing at some point as well and bowling is the universes great laughter filled equalizer right?

I know I’ve made a point of presenting here in the attic my solitary nature and how I’ve tried to nurture that further over the last number of years but I am also very aware that no man is an island, as has been written, more aware of it now anyway. Now mind you, it’s not that I haven’t thought of island scenario’s though, of what, say, 10 CD’s I would bring that would only end up being helpful to use defensively as small ninja frisbees or little mirrors to reflect sunlight into the eyes of predators, distracting them long enough for me to continue staying frozen in fear waiting for them to refocus and then eat me just a few extra moments of life and proper enough time to soil myself later, or wondering how I suddenly found myself in the company of bunch of scary, feral English kids who kept leaving bloody Boar’s heads in my lean-to or even searching wreckage on a beach for friendly volleyballs or the depths of the island for secret, hidden WW2 era secret freaky stuff secret facilities.

But no, I’ve recently come to that “no man is an island” realization more and more and now look forward to adding to the list of winning films seen on Movie Fridays with the gang, or maybe that big fun of bowling, or even the memorial day weekend trip Beck, Matt and I have planned (sadly Jake can’t make this one with work stuff) to see my brother at his new digs in North Carolina … he and his three cats. That’s a total of 8 between the three of us crazy cat lady people siblings in case you were curious which I know you’re not (unless you too are really good at interested humoring Steve reactions).  

And before I forget, “Project Hail Mary” and “The Sheep Detectives”? Fantastic both and Sheep Detectives will definitely have you searching in spots for excuses for your damp eyes. Go see them with some family, you won’t be disappointed (just don’t forget to call Matt … he’ll find it weird of course but he’s always up to meeting new folks).