I am alone now, and this is how it happened:
Early yesterday afternoon, as I was sitting right here, at my computer, I heard a knock on my office door. This should have caused me to be suspicious right then. Nobody around here needs to knock on my office door. All they need to do is to open it and walk in.
Hell. The cats do this all the time. They never knock. They just push the door open and walk in.
So you would expect the people to do the same.
But no.
Someone knocked.
So I opened the door.
What you see above is what I saw - Jobe, held in Margie's arms, just beyond the threshold to my door.
"Jobe's come to take me away," Margie told me.
Look into his eyes and you will see eye boogers, because Jobe had been napping. Little people get eye boogers when they nap - even handsome little people.
Yet, it does not diminish their magnetism and charm - the way it would to you or I, if either of us were to show up to steal someone's spouse away, with boogers in our eyes.
Look at Jobe's charm! See how handsome he is! Feel his magnetism!
Against this, eye boogers or no, I knew that I could not compete.
Jobe and Margie.
Soon, Margie was strapped into the back seat of the car Jacob gave to Lavina on her recent birthday, right next to Jobe. And look! There's Kalib! He was in on this, too!
And Lavina! For how could Jobe and Kalib even have come out here, without her assistance?
At any rate, Margie is gone now, to be with them in Anchorage.
She will be with them all week.
Jacob has gone to Bethel today and on to Kwethluk; after that, Kodiak.
As soon as he gets back, Lavina goes to Nome.
So Jobe and Kalib came to get Margie, to help fill the gap.
And me, I am left here alone, where I have no choice but to eat the left-over Halloween candy all by myself.
I have eaten quite a bit of it already, but there is still quite a bit left to go.
I am dedicated, though. I will get the job done.
It's much easier to eat the Halloween candy when you are alone, after a handsome and charming little guy has snatched your wife away.
I could choose alcohol to deal with the loneliness, but instead I choose Halloween candy.