Ryan knocked on the door during a commercial break of Jeopardy. Funny thing about that game show. Technically there's an exclamation point in the title, but who's gonna write it that way?
Lately I've been keeping score for myself when I watch Jeopardy. It sounds lame, I know, but I always wonder how well I'd do if I got penalized for incorrect answers. I usually don't pay attention to how many answers I get right vs how many I get wrong. So I started keeping score on paper while I watch. Ryan saw the notebook open on the coffee table. He didn't say anything, but I might as well be wearing a t shirt that says "Bored Nerd."
"Did you eat dinner?" I asked him.
"Yeah, I did, thanks."
I nodded. "Want something to drink then?"
"A glass of water would be great."
I went to the kitchen and poured him a glass of water. "You can put your stuff wherever," I called out to him. He had a duffle bag and his coat over his arm when he walked in.
I took the glass of water out to him and he said thanks. He put his stuff on the floor, next to the chair with the spare sheets, pillow, and blanket I took out of the closet for him. I didn't know exactly what time he was coming over, so I was going to make up the couch after I figured out if I ended with a positive or negative Jeopardy score.
We watched the rest of Double Jeopardy and Final Jeopardy. I ignored the notebook even though I did really well in the first round. As the credits rolled, I turned toward him and asked "So what's the plan for tonight?"
"Pretty simple." He shrugged. "You do your normal routine and I try not to get in your way. I stay here overnight and if anything unusual happens...well, I guess I go with the flow." He thought for a moment. "You never know beforehand when it's going to happen, do you? Like a feeling or anything like that?"
I shook my head. "Sorry, no."
He waved his hand. "It's okay. I was just wondering."
We spent the next few hours watching TV and flipping channels when we got bored. I felt tired and told Ryan I was going to go to sleep. I stood up and pointed down the hall. "Bathroom's on the right. Feel free to use it." I smiled at him.
"Thanks."
"Good night."
"Sleep well."
I brushed my teeth and changed into my pajamas. I fell asleep after a few minutes. I don't know how much time passed but at some point later on I heard Ryan call my name. I couldn't answer him, though, and it felt like a dream anyway.