Today is the second birthday of The New Leaf Journal. Happy birthday New Leaf Journal! Last year we published a long birthday article. Today we join The New Leaf Journal’s resident dialogue duo, Justin and Justina, as they enjoy breakfast at The New Leaf Journal’s Emu Café. Justina’s eraser, combined with The New Leaf Journal’s birthday, reminds Justin of a memory from long ago. We pick up the dialogue with Justin enjoying his coffee while Justina is writing on an envelope.
The Eraser’s Birthday
Justin: I read that today is The New Leaf Journal’s second birthday.
Justina: Oh that’s nice.
Justin: You don’t sound enthusiastic.
Justina: Ugh. I wrote the address on this envelope wrong. You’re distracting me. Where’s my eraser?
Justin: You send mail?
Justina: Sometimes. Sending mail is different than checking mail.
Justin: Unbelievable.
(Justina digs a rainbow-colored eraser from her bag.)
Justin: That’s a flashy eraser. Brings back memories. Good times.
Justina: Memories?
Justin: So…
Justina: I already regret asking.
(Justina begins erasing.)
Justin: Back when I was in kindergarten…
Justina: That’s hard to picture.
Justin: I was in a three person group. Do you know what we were doing?
Justina: What were you doing?
Justin: Are you really ready for this?
Justina: Just tell me.
Justin: We were making a picture book. Class assignment. Crazy times man.
Justina: That sounds like a normal thing for kindergarteners to do.
Justin: Anyway, we were just adding whatever we wanted to the book.
Justina: What did you add?
Justin: I don’t know. Probably dinosaurs or something.
Justina: Surprisingly normal…
Justin: Anyway there was this girl in the group.
Justina: Ok.
Justin: Good lass. She understood me.
Justina: That’s a lie. No girl could ever understand you.
Justin: Your friend Marie understands me.
Justina: …Alright. No girl I understand could understand you.
Justin: Subjective no true Scotsman.
Justina: I took enough philosophy to get that reference.
Justin: Let me tell you, what she added to the book – totally blew my mind.
Justina: Really?
Justin: It affected me greatly. Without seeing her brilliance, I wouldn’t be the man who I am today.
Justina: That’s… I don’t know what to do with that.
Justin: Are you really ready for this?
Justina: Just tell me.
Justin: She took an eraser – just like the one you have now.
Justina: Ok.
Justin: Rainbow, tie-dye, whatever.
Justina: Mhmm.
Justin: She held it up.
Justina: And?
Justin: She said “my eraser just turned six.”
Justina: That… also sounds like something a kindergartener would do. Everything about this story is surprisingly normal.
Justin: Do you know why she said that?
Justina: Was there a date on the eraser?
Justin: No.
Justina: Was it the girl’s birthday?
Justin: …I don’t think so.
Justina: Was this girl six?
Justin: Probably.
Justina: So she probably just said that the eraser was the same age that she was.
Justin: Simple.
Justina: Excuse me?
Justin: Underestimating her profundity.
Justina: Well what do you think?
Justin: Looking back – I’d say that because she was six years old, she decided that her beloved eraser was the same age as she was.
Justina: That’s exactly what I just said.
Justin: You didn’t say it with enough awe.
Justina: This is your memory you know.
Justin: Anyway, we were using magic markers and construction paper. So she took five markers and drew the eraser. Then I wrote something about the eraser’s birthday.
Justina: This still sounds normal.
Justin: Do you know what the other boy was doing?
Justina: Just tell me.
Justin: I don’t remember. I was hoping you could tell me. He probably added a note to the section aboutthe eraser and then went back to drawing Power Rangers or something.
Justina: Again, this is your story.
Justin: That memory came back to me when I saw your eraser while thinking about The New Leaf Journal’s birthday.
Justina: It was a little random but probably the most normal story you ever told me.
Justin: How old is your eraser?
Justina: Justin… this is why no woman will ever understand you. You don’t ask a lady her eraser’s age.
Justin: …Well-played.
Justina: Thank you, thank you.