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I arrived home Friday night at about 11:20 pm with preconceived notions of how my weekend was going to go. Babysitting so Shelia and Gina could go play was an annoyance I wouldn't be repeating very often. I had toyed with extorting a fee for my services but I have never believed in putting a price tag on a kid even in lawsuits--tends to taint the unconditional love we're supposed to be having. Ruth was not amused by my imaginary attempt to irritate Sheila and provide further evidence of my lack of concern for the first grand-son but old readers are familiar with that problem so we'll move on.

Damion is six now and when I enter the front living room I look about for a welcome praying the words Oompaw or Pawpaw or some variation won't be tossed out at me.

Ruth is in the kitchen and our dog Onyx at least is pleased with the return of the occassional dog walker. There is a sleeping bag with blankets on it and a smallish lump as I (for me anyway) quietly ask Ruth if Damion is asleep. I am assured he is and I begin to plan living my own life certain I was free at least until Saturday morning.

I really do need to come out of the Me Glorious Me universe I dwell in and get a grip.

A firm strident voice rumbles from the blankets and bag commanding "Don't let that dog STEP on me!"

I wait for a "Please" which is never born. I smile--the theme is established for the weekend. Character building as practiced by me.

As Onyx looks up at me and raises his paws to be held Damion peeks his head out and I say to Onyx--"Onyx don't step on the kid--that's my job." as I do my best Vincent Price maniacal laugh. Always best to confuse a kid about where the boundaries are when you have no real control of their destinies and a fear of little fingers pulling books off shelves.

I make giant foot motions but Damion is more clever then I think. He informs me I am weird. Now having spent a week in a forum where I am occasionlly called worse then that with no provocation I heartily agree with him and pay the compliment he hates to hear--"And you look like just like your mother."

In reality there is more of Jim to him and if you knew Gina I could justifiably be prosecuted for verbal child abuse. Plus he hates it.

"I do NOT."

"Sure you do--people just don't want to admit right dear?"--To Ruth who refuses to play the game. "Always good to hear it from a loved one."

He gives me a strange look then asks if I have any Godzilla movies.

Two years ago I had a bunch of the videos but I gave all my VHS tapes away or tossed them and converted to DVD. Just haven't got any Godzilla replacements yet.

I tell him no and why do you ask and I find out how he spent his night so far. He had been looking at the shelf of DVDs and spotted Gorgo (a British monster film from 1961 I believe) which spawned 23 issues of his own comic book and three specials and it took me 30 years to track them all down. Life before e-bay when collecting was hard. Damion thought it spelled Godzilla at first then wanted to see it.

He likes Gorgo a lot as I was to discover later. He had also spotted this huge model of Godzilla I have on the floor of my library where one of the tow drivers did an awesome job of putting together and painting him. It's so large I have nowhere to put it.

Damion hoped I had movies and was slightly disapppointed. This is what comes of parents telling their spawn that Grandpa has everything he ever read, saw or owned. Not these days--have trimmed down to the essentials. But I had something almost as good. Went to my library and took a book off the shelf wondering if the Bookery still had a copy because I was about to thrill a kid and bask in the glow. It was a black and white reprint of all 24 issues of Godzilla Marvel comics published in the 70s. I actually have 18 of the 24 color comics but just a manner of time. Damion oohs and ahhs for about 30 seconds and puts it away. This has been ny experience with him so far with books. I had given an Iron Man book reprinting some of his earliest adventures and that too got put to the side. He seems to have no curiousity about looking at all the pictures. But I live in hope.

I look up Gorgo on the internet but the website I use for comic covers is down so I found some on e-bay to show him. I finally confess to him I own all the Gorgo comics (which will haunt me Saturday) and I put him back in the sleeping bag-say a prayer for him and off to the computer as Ruth surrenders it early.

NEXT: Saturday, lies, tempers, Avengers #66, movies, movies, movies