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Pegs |
BLUE PEG: And that's it? BANKER: That's what? BLUE PEG: That's all I have to do to find the little pink peg of my dreams? BANKER: Pretty much.
BLUE PEG: Sweet. I call the red car! BANKER: Keys are in the ignition. BLUE PEG: Ok, so I just keep playing until I reach that marriage space? BANKER: Well, there's a lot more of the Game after that. BLUE PEG: But when I get to that spot, I'll experience infatuation, flirtation, courtship, engagement & holy moly matrimony? BANKER: Uh... yeah. BLUE PEG: Just like that? BANKER: Well, not all in one instant! BLUE PEG: Ok. I'm just curious, I guess. It all looks so nice & simple in movies & stuff. BANKER: Movies are only like, two... three hours long. Getting married is a bit more involved than putting a peg in shotgun. I know that. That's why there's a Stop sign there. Now do you want to even reach that Stop sign or what?
BLUE PEG: Ok, I guess I'll make a right & go to college then. It's a bit of a longer road, but if I'm going to get a pink peg, I suppose I should build up a real good Game for when I reach the Get Married space. BANKER: Think of it as taking the scenic route. BLUE PEG: So you'll provide the peg? BANKER: Heheh... well I, um... I'll make sure there's a peg for you when it's time. BLUE PEG: And then, boom? Happily ever after? BANKER: More or less. BLUE PEG: No divorce, or secret affairs, or running away to New Mexico & pretending she got kidnapped? BANKER: Come on, dude. It's your Game. I'm not going to play it for you. You'll have to play it & see. BLUE PEG: Wow, you mean there's really a divorce space out there somewhere? BANKER: It's not labeled like that. Like, I think there's one called "Mid-life crisis" or something where I guess you can change pegs if you needed to. BLUE PEG: So what, do you keep the pegs lined up somewhere waiting?
BANKER: Eh, kind of. Not exactly. They're lined up waiting for their turn to play. Then they drive through the Game, too. And then I just put you both in the same boat when you hit the Get Married space. BLUE PEG: Car. BANKER: Hmm? BLUE PEG: You put us in the same car. BANKER: Right. That too. But no, they're not just waiting by the chapel for the next blue peg in a car to drive up. Oh, hey, it's your turn.
BLUE PEG: Aww, a two?! Come on! BANKER: Yeah, the spinner's random like that. But come on. You don't want to get all 10s & rush to old age, do you?
BLUE PEG: But I feel so far behind. Hey guys, slow down you guys! BANKER: Dude, this isn't one of those "get to the end first & win" Games. Anyone can win, no matter how long it takes them to reach the retirement homes parking lot. No worries. BLUE PEG: Ok. But can you, um, put her aside for me or something? BANKER: Who? BLUE PEG: My pink peg. BANKER: What?! No! BLUE PEG: Aww, come on! BANKER: You need to stop worrying about that now, guy. Come on, it's your turn to spin. BLUE PEG: But I have my eye on a really nice one. BANKER: OH YOU DO
BLUE PEG: Yup. She's special. She's got this frayed part on her shoulder that kind of sticks out. It's a stupid little thing, but it drives me nuts. BANKER: I think they all have something like that. BLUE PEG: Hmm. I don't know. Maybe I just notice hers more or something. BANKER: Well, guess you'd better keep spinning if you really want her.
BLUE PEG: Son of a bitch! BANKER: Looks like you're on the road to a long & prosperous Game!
BLUE PEG: Ooooohhh... slow down, you guys! Man... are you sure you can't just make sure that peg waits for me? BANKER: Oh, come on! You can't just expect someone to wait around until you're ready! BLUE PEG: But... she BANKER: Do you realize how selfish you sound right now? Making her wait for you? What about her game? BLUE PEG: I just... she... she's just what I'm looking for in a peg. She's got BANKER: I know. The frayed shoulder. Listen to me. BLUE PEG: Hey wait a minute.
BLUE PEG: That pink peg in the orange car just married another pink peg! BANKER: Oh? Yeah, well, if it makes them happy. BLUE PEG: I didn't think they could do that in this state. BANKER: Well, they can't, really. I didn't exactly marry them. She just felt more comfortable with having another pink peg as company, really. BLUE PEG: But it's the Get Married space. BANKER: It's a board game, dude. It's a simplified representation of the real Game. BLUE PEG: waht/ BANKER: Not everyone who plays the Game actually, literally gets married married. Some people get different kinds of pegs. They get married to their work, or to a cause, or they're just looking for some company. BLUE PEG: ... Hmm, so that's not really a Get Married space, then? BANKER: It's just labeled that because that's how most people use it. It was just easier, I guess. The guys that paved the road had other things to worry about. Like making sure they registered the vertical line going down the front of the box as a trademark.
BLUE PEG: Oh no way. BANKER: Crazy, ain't it? BLUE PEG: Just a bit, yeah. So you don't care that two pink pegs are sharing a car? BANKER: It used to bother me. One time a bunch of blue pegs playing the Game decided to all marry other blue pegs at the same time, & I got frustrated & flipped the whole board over on its back. I've calmed down a bit since. Decided to let them play their own Games, & just stick around & provide them with what they needed. BLUE PEG: So why can't you provide me with what I need? BANKER: What, the peg with the frayed thing? I told you, guy. Just BLUE PEG: AAAAAAHH BANKER: What?
BLUE PEG: My peg! That son of a bitch is marrying my peg! BANKER: Dude BLUE PEG: AAAAAAHH BANKER: DUDE!
BLUE PEG: There she goes. Just like that. I knew this would happen! I knew I'd be too late! All I wanted was for you to put her aside and BANKER: HAY MY TURN TO TALK NOW BLUE PEG: k sry BANKER: You didn't end up with Little Miss Frayed Shoulder USA, because your timing wasn't the same as hers. Your paths never got the chance to meet. BLUE PEG: Yeah, I know. And now it's too late. BANKER: It was never a matter of you being too late or her being too early! You're both playing your Games at different paces. BLUE PEG: That's because I keep spinning twos! BANKER: Yeah. YOU keep spinning twos. YOU are the one doing the spinning. Your Game is what you're making of it. And you're not making much of it by spending too much thinking about spaces you haven't reached yet, & not enough time worrying about the spaces you're on now. I'm not saying you can't have plans or dreams. I'm just saying you can't spend your entire time making plans or dreaming. You need to play the Game, or you'll never reach those goals. Sometimes you spin a number you won't like, & so you have to make some little changes to your goals. That's not a bad thing. Not doing anything about it is a bad thing. Forgetting to take your turn because you're wishing for some frayed shoulder peg, that's a bad thing. BLUE PEG: ... BANKER: Life® is a Game, yes. But it's also an experience. An experience you want to take your time to take in, yes... but you can't just sit around & let your turns pass by when it's your turn to go. It'll just make everyone around you frustrated. It's not just your Game. It's everybody's Game. BLUE PEG: ... I ... I've never thought about it like that. BANKER: Yeah, I know. But it's not too late to start. You're still very early in the Game, friend. BLUE PEG: Ok... alright... here we go.
BLUE PEG: Hey, say NO to drugs! Alright, & a free LIFE Tile to remember it by. This isn't so bad. Look at all the different spaces coming up! If I get a 1 next, I can... um, not drink & drive. And I have a paycheck coming soon. This game's pretty fun! Ooh, & there's a night school space around the bend... maybe I'll take a cooking class. PINK PEG: Hey. BLUE PEG: Huh? PINK PEG: Hello! BLUE PEG: Oh, um... hi! PINK PEG: That's a nice car. BLUE PEG: Oh... thanks. PINK PEG: And... um... this may sound weird, but your fray. BLUE PEG: My what? PINK PEG: You have a fray. On your left shoulder... it looks cute. I like it. BLUE PEG: I do? Oh... oh, I do. Hey, thanks... Oh... ... Oho! I see what he did there! BANKER:
~ FOR ALL THE IMPATIENT PEGS ~ |
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