If you are not familiar with the Netflix series "Squid Games" I am not surprised. It premiered in 2021 and it is bizarre to say the least. (But I watched the entire thing!). The premise is that a bunch of people who need money compete in a series of slightly revised kids games. They are eliminated until only one survivor remains and claims the cash prize. I say survivor because with each game contestants are eliminated, PERMANENTLY ! As in DEAD ! It is brutal and not meant for kids to watch.
Anyway . . . The first game that is played is a deadly version of "Red Light Green Light". I am sure you know the game. It is when the player who is "IT" turns away from the rest of the kids and yells, "Green Light" every one can move in an attempt to get to "IT" and tag him. But when "IT" suddenly turns around to face you and yells, "Red Light" everyone has to stop immediately. If you are seen moving you are out of the game.
Senior version goes something like this: The Man is talking so I am stopped. (Red Light). I stand or sit quietly while he rants or rambles about what ever. When The Man stops talking for more than a minute I foolishly assume this is "Green Light" for me to move on to my next project. (ie. washing dishes, making beds or just a much needed trip to the bathroom not only to pee but for some solitude and quiet.) Silly Silly me !!! The second I make a move guess who starts talking ? ! RED LIGHT ! I stop in mid stride, turn to see what he is saying and he stops talking . . . Green Light ! I stand quietly for a moment, possibly even asking if he was saying something only to be met with a totally blank stare. OK, I start moving again and, yup, you guessed it RED LIGHT ! Again I stop in mid stride only to be met with dead silence once again.
His favorite trigger to start talking is as soon as my hand is on the door handle to leave the house. I have an appointment somewhere. We talk about this appointment for days, it is marked on the calendar that hangs on the kitchen wall. The event is highlighted in PINK so that The Man knows it is something that I am going to do. He sees me changing out of my usual hanging around clothes of jeans and tee shirt into something nice. ("Going to a meeting clothes" as my mom would call it.) He sees me putting on makeup . . . (I do not apply makeup to feed the deer.) He is sitting at the kitchen table in complete silence the entire time. I am chatting as I go along. He just sits. I say good-bye and place my hand on the door nob and BAM !!!!! Like I have pulled a trigger, his mouth opens and he begins a conversation about something that needs to be addressed, like his last doctor visit or something. I stare in disbelief and quietly say, "I have to go. We can talk about that when I get back". Then I mutter to myself for the next twenty minutes as I drive to wherever I am going.
I swear to you he is doing this on purpose to drive me nuts.
Tonight was even better though. We had dinner at the kitchen table. Silence. TV is on so no need to talk. Dinner is over and I remain sitting thinking that perhaps now that our mouths are not full and the nightly news is over there may be a conversation to be had. NOPE ! Still silence. UNTIL I stand up. It is like my body in motion triggers his need to become verbal. ( Sort of like Charlie McCarthy the ventriloquists dummy but I'm not pulling any strings.) This odd phenomenon happens ALL the time ! I stop, (Red Light) and wait to see where this conversation is going. I can't even remember what he was talking about, I just know I talked with him for a minute or two until silence once more descended on the kitchen. (Green Light). I stood there a moment waiting but The Man's eyes were fixed on the TV so I left the room. As I was walking into the bedroom I could hear him start talking. HELLOOOOOOOOO . . . Can he not see I am no longer in the same room as him ??? Yet there he is having a big conversation with no one present to hear him. He knows I wear hearing aids and yet he is talking into the air. When I got what I had gone into the bedroom for I returned to the kitchen and foolishly asked, "Were you saying something while I was in the bedroom?" The Man looked at me like I had 3 heads and said, (I swear I am not making this up) "Well Yes! I thought we were talking about . . . (whatever) . . . and you walked away." Nooooo, You had stopped talking and then I walked away. RED LIGHT !!! Not because he is now talking but because all I can see is RED !!! What the #%&%^$#? Seriously ???? Am I now expected to stand in place even when it is a Green Light because The Man may decide to continue speaking after a ten minute silence whether I am in the same room or not ?????
I do think the Squid Game version of this Red Light Green Light game where the contestants were SHOT when they were caught moving needs a slight revision for this house hold. Our version would be, if the person who is "IT" (AKA The Man) starts talking when the room is empty HE needs to be shot !!
I do love playing kid games !!!
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