Mamihlapinatapai

[ChrisR]

A wonderful tale indeed - with totally unexpected highpoint! I'm just sort of curious what language it was in! ?  

[Gee Whillickers]

Me and Myles were sitting on the floor in front of the TV, game controllers in hand. We weren't focusing so much on the game as we were on teasing each other. Both verbally and with shoulder bumps, gentle pushes, shared looks, and gentle kicks on each other's legs.

Dad was sitting in his favorite chair just to the side and behind us. He was working on a crossword puzzle. As Myles and I engaged in our horseplay Dad kept looking up over the top of his crossword puzzle book before looking down again. His expression when he did so was inscrutable.

Now, I'm not a little kid anymore. I'm a teenager now. I have been for over a year. And I'm not stupid. And I know Dad. I knew there was far more to Dad's looks than just amusement at our horseplay, or questioning his son's and his son's best friend's sanity as our joking escalated to beyond weird as we attempted to one-up each other and find excuses for more horseplay and physical.....

Oh.

Oh, crap.

I mean, I knew, kinda, why I was doing it, even before the revelation seconds ago. Now I was forced to focus on it consciously. The teasing, the looks, the timing of the comments and pushing and shoving, the way I was pushing and shoving Myles.

I started to feel my stomach tighten into knots, my heart speed up, as I realized that if it was obvious enough to Dad for him to be giving me those weird looks, then it was probably obvious to Myles too.

What must he think? Why was he even still here?! His best friend was, apparently, hitting on him.

Geez, I'm an idiot. What am I doing?! He's gonna stop being my friend. He's gonna hate me.

Dad looked at me again. This time for longer than a second or two. I know that he noticed my sudden quiet, my sudden stillness, the furrowing of my forehead, the fear and consternation, the no doubt obvious blush as I felt the blood rush to my face. 

Dad watched me think. I looked at him. He just raised his eyebrows in what no doubt was supposed to be a meaningful way, then he looked down as his crossword again.

I had no idea what Dad's look was supposed to convey to me. I felt Myles shove me again with his shoulder, and then his hand on my arm, before he said, "Helloooooo, Eddy? What happened? Give up? No wonder, you know I had you beat." He was grinning at me. His eyes were sparkling, drawing me into his so wonderful soul.

And his hand was still on my arm.

I just continued to stay silent, as I looked at Myles and his hand on my arm.

Myles seemed to notice it too as he followed my gaze. He blushed, quickly removed his hand, and then he too was silent, still, and stared straight ahead with a furrowed brow, still blushing.

I didn't know what to do. He'd obviously noticed what I'd been doing, and was now trying to figure out how to deal with me. Shit.

Somehow, despite our stillness, we managed to now be sitting a foot apart as we stared almost unmoving at the TV, pretending to be engaged in our video game, but both of us playing badly, distracted by heavy thoughts.

I felt, rather than saw, Dad's eyes on me again. I looked over at him. He sighed. And stood up.

Dad walked over to us, crouched down, and held out his crossword puzzle book. He looked at me for several seconds, meaning in his eyes, then he looked at Myles, almost as long, before looking back at the book and tapping a word, drawing our eyes to it.

"You boys might want to look this one up. Interesting word, this 'mamihlapinatapai.'

He left the crossword book between us, stood up with his knees creaking, and walked into the kitchen.

Myles looked at me. I looked at Myles.

We both pulled out our phones at the same moment, and both entered that weird word into the search box.

He read the definition at the same time as I did. I could feel it, his reaction, as I'm sure he could feel mine, as my eyes scanned the words on the phone's screen. It said, 'A look shared by two people, each wishing that the other would initiate something that they both desire but which neither wants to begin.'

I looked at Myles again. He looked at me again. Expressionless, silent, we just sat there, not knowing what else to do.

Dad walked into the room at the moment. He looked at us. Shook his head slightly, and said, "I think you guys might want to take a walk, looks like you might have a bit to chat about. My turn at the game console." Dad then grabbed a controller, changed to his favorite game, and, ignoring us, began playing.

With one more look at Myles I stood up and, at the door now, put my shoes on.

"Let's go," I said.

Myles smiled at me, this time a smile with encouragement and...something else.

He too put his shoes on, then he opened the door.

"Okay, let's go," he said, as he walked through it, taking my hand and pulling me behind him.

 

 

[Cole Parker]

That's beautiful!

C

[Pedro]

Absolutely delightful. The interplay between the boys is so well drawn and very clever the way the introduction of the key word kept its impact toned down.

[Merkin]

Oh, bravo, bravo to the both of you! 

[colinian]

A much better use of two different words in a wonderful tale full of fun and joy, except for one black rabbit that suffered from PTSD.

Colin 

[Cole Parker]

The world is still woefully short of lapin therapists.

C