Other Rooms

In the eternal search for lost items, sometimes it is necessary to ask my mother if she’s seen the missing sweater or textbook. Oddly enough, she often knows, “it’s in the other room”. Somehow, people, pets, and belongings are eternally in this other place. And even though this answer does tell me that the missing item is not in this room, I am still clueless. And so the conversation must continue. “Which room”? Pause…“um”...silence. I wait impatiently. She gets distracted, forgets the question. “Which room?” Silence. “Mother?” “Oh!...um...the kitchen.” Ah, yes, of course, that other room.