The Eight Bigs

H. calls me. He is agitated, his voice jumping on one foot.

He says he realized he has acquired six of the “Eight Bigs”: A color TV; a camera; a telephone; a refrigerator; a DVD player; and a set of furniture.

The only things he is missing now is a car and a washing machine. And he is not sure he needs a washing machine, given the laundry facilities in his building. He says he is thinking of switching the washing machine out for a wife as the eighth “big.” If he should be fortunate enough to acquire a washing machine later in life, he’ll go back to the traditional list. He says his wife will never know the difference.