Albert pointed and clicked. He had been surfing through the television stations for the last hour. Johnny made feint sounds when an interesting show appeared, but he knew better than to expect his dad to stop clicking.

“Can’t you pick one show, Al?” Janice said.

“You told me to get off the couch and do something, and, here, I’m doing something,” Albert said.

“When I said something, I wasn’t thinking about television,” Janice said. “And you’re still on the couch!”

Johnny wormed closer to the television, holding his head up with his palms and elbows. Dad had never been good at doing two things at once, and while he argued with mom, Johnny focused his attention on the television, which had stopped changing channels.

“I had to get off the couch to get the remote,” Albert said.

“I meant maybe gardening,” Janice said. “Or you’ve been promising me that you’d fix the closet door for the last two weeks.”

“I never promised anything,” Albert said. “I told you to call someone.”

“Why can’t you do it?” Janice said.

“I am doing it,” Albert said. “I’m paying for you to call someone to fix the closet door.”

Johnny couldn’t have been more pleased where the television stopped. He watched a nature show about wild tigers. The camera followed three tiger kittens as they made their way during their first year of life.

“Dad,” Johnny said, interrupting his parents. “Can I have a tiger kitten?”

“Whatever you want son,” Albert said.

“Al, what are you saying to Johnny?” Janice said. “Are you even listening to what your son asked?” Janice turned and sweetened her voice. “Johnny, what have I told you about interrupting mommy and daddy when we’re having a discussion? Just watch your show and we’ll talk about kittens later.”

“Where were we?” Janice said

“You were about to call a repairman for the closet,” Albert said.

“I can’t believe how lazy you are,” Janice said. “You won’t replace the screws for a single shelf? It would take you, what, five minutes?”

Albert sat up on the couch to look at his wife. “Do you ever have need of anything?” Albert said.

“No,” Janice said.

“And why is that,” Albert said.

Johnny watched as a hyena stalked a tiger kitten. While the tiger kitten was cute, part of him wanted the hyena to kill the kitten. The suspense was almost unbearable for Johnny.

“Because you are a great provider,” Janice said.

Albert harrumphed. “If the clicking is bothering you that much,” Albert said. “Get me a beer.” Albert switched the channel and Janice went to the kitchen. Johnny watched the changing channels hoping to catch a glimpse of what happened when dad surfed passed.