Rick pulled up at Ellen's house at 5 p.m. sharp. Ralphie jumped into the car. They waved as Rick pulled away.
“I have a surprise for you, Buddy,” Rick said.
“Really? What is it?”
“I will give it to you this weekend.”
When they got to Rick's apartment, Ralphie noticed several packed boxes around the house.
“Are you moving, Dad?”
“Yes, I'm moving away for a new job. Are you ready for your surprise?”
“Yes, yes, yes!”
“I know your birthday is next month, so I got you something that you could use now.”
Ralphie frowned.
“I hope it's not socks.”
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“No, Buddy! Moms get those for birthdays. Dads get their boys cooler things.”
Rick handed Ralphie a small rectangular box. Ralphie looked disappointed for a moment, and Rick thought it was Ralphie’s disappointment of not seeing a game-sized box. But soon, that disappointment swelled into a smile.
“Cool! A phone!”
“A smartphone.”
“Mom was going to get me one later.”
Ralphie just looked at the box.
“What's the matter, Buddy?”
“It's opened. Did you get a used phone?”
“No, Buddy, I opened it so I could set it up for you. I added some games and some apps you need. The phone is not the latest model; you would need to be as rich as Eldon Tage to afford the latest in smartphones, anyway.”
“Oh, okay.”
Since Ralphie was the youngest, he often got Nigel's used things. Rick wanted to get him something new for a change! Ralphie immediately started playing with the device. Two contacts were listed, his mother's and father's, but Nigel's was missing.
“I didn't have Nigel's number; if you give it to me, I will add it to the phone.”
Ralphie gave him the number without a second thought.
“Great,” Rick said as he entered the number and handed the phone back to Ralphie.
Rick got out his phone and checked an app called Central Control Center, or CCC for short. He tapped the red dot labeled “Ralphie” and a menu appeared with several options. He tapped the record option.
Ralphie suddenly exclaimed, “Kenny Cart mobile!” and smiled at Rick.
Rick smiled uneasily back, waited a few seconds, then tapped stop. He immediately listened to the recording so Ralphie couldn’t hear it. “Kenny Cart mobile!” said Ralphie’s recorded voice in Rick’s ear.