“Huh?” I lowered the arm I had held up to block my face and glanced around to find Videohead nowhere in sight. I realized I was sitting on something and reached down to retrieve a universal remote from under my ass. The same remote I had programmed to the VCR. I glanced at the TV and found my answer in the form of a blue input screen; a single word spelled out in blocky white lettering hovered at the top left of the frame…
EJECT
Without another thought, I unhooked the VCR and shoved it inside one of the trash cans beside the garage but this didn’t feel like far enough away so I snuck out with my dad’s car and drove around for a while, trying to locate the empty lot where I had originally found the VCR. After about half an hour, I gave in and ended up chucking the bulky machine into a dumpster behind Best Buy. My logic was that their lack of reasonable prices had been at least partially to blame for my present situation and the least they could do was assist with the disposal.
I spent most of the next day cleaning out my room, which surprised the crap out of my mom but my dad was still a bit pissed at me since I told him I’d locked myself out the night before and had to break one of the panes of glass on the door to the garage to get in. But then I asked if he would drive me to go get a replacement pane and teach me how to install it and his mood instantly brightened at the prospect of me actually volunteering for father-son handiwork.