Fig Newtons

At the Evil Corporation where I work, they have on each floor a breakroom. And each breakroom has Coke machines and snack machines. I usually pass the snacks by, since I'm watching my weight. But yesterday, I saw Fig Newtons in the snack machine. I like Fig Newtons. I don't know why I do. Okay, you caught me. I do think I know why I do. When we were little, my grandparents on my mother's side always had snacks and such for the grandchildren. And one of the snacks they had was Fig Newtons. So, for as long as I can remember, we'd get Fig Newtons from Grandma and Papa's house.

I've always wondered about Fig Newtons. I know what figs are. You won't catch me eating one, but I know what they are; I just don't care to eat one. But I'll eat a Fig Newton. Go figure. Oh, and what the heck is a "newton?" Some of you smarties are going to tell me it's a unit of force equal to kilograms times meters per second squared. Mrs. Shaw, my high school physics teacher, would be proud to know that I know that. But, anyhow, that's not the newtons we're talking about. Unless they are really the original PowerBar. That's an interesting thought. Okay, no it isn't. But even though I don't particularly care for figs and have no idea what an edible newton is, I like Fig Newtons. Because they remind me of Grandma and Papa's house.

My grandmother is still living. She doesn't keep Fig Newtons anymore. The grandchildren through her daughter (my mother) don't go by as much anymore. Three of us live in other towns (from two to 4½ hours away) and the one that still lives there is the mean one (who's 5'6"). She'll stop by on occasion. But she works with the school system there and spends most of her time coming up with ways of terrorizing the students at school. The great-grandchildren hardly go by either. Two live there, but only one is driving age. And he's got other things to do. She also has grandchildren and great-grandchildren by my mother's brother, but they also live a ways away. Still, she will still keep some stuff "in case the children stop by," but she's cut way back on that kind of stuff. Her diet won't allow her to eat a lot of stuff. So she doesn't keep Fig Newtons around anymore. But, when I see Fig Newtons, I still think about eating them at her house.

So, when I saw them in the snack machine at work, I thought about that. I noticed it was the only packet in the machine, and, since I had 60¢, I bought it. I was in the breakroom, nuking my lunch, and had all I needed to eat already laid out, so I didn't eat them. I just put them on my desk for later.

In case the grandchildren stop by.