Waiting

Sammy stood at the gate,
Waiting for Pete
To break the corner
At Old Man Jacob's house.

He was now
Two hours late
And Sammy was growing impatient
And suspicious.

Veronica said he left
Three hours ago.
Pete was bringing it over
And Sammy couldn't wait to use it.

Just as he was
About to go in
To call Veronica again,
He saw Pete swaggering
Down the road.

From his wrist,
Hung a plastic bag.
It had to be in there.
Sammy willed himself
To be patient.

He was tempted
To rant and rave
At Pete about his lateness,
But it would result in
His departure,
So Sammy went
Through the familiar
Salutations and small talk.

They entered
Sammy's house,
Pete handing over
The plastic bag.

Pete took his position
On the couch
While Pete extracted
It from the plastic bag.

He admired it for a minute
Then put it into the console.
He took his seat
Next to Pete.

They waited till
It loaded.
Then in the quiet
Of what remained
Of the Saturday afternoon,
The two men played
The latest version of
Halo.