April 22, 2025
By Carter Reynolds

I did something a little… shady a few years ago, and to this day, my dad still has no idea.

It all started when he decided it was time to buy a new laptop. Now, he’s one of those guys who thinks he knows tech but really doesn’t. Like, he’s the guy who still uses Internet Explorer and thinks that’s fine. So, when he said he needed a new computer for his work, I saw an opportunity.

At the store, the salesman—who, I’ll admit, was way more savvy than my dad—took advantage of the situation. My dad told him, “I need to deal with a lot of pictures in PowerPoint, so I think I need something quite powerful.”

The salesman didn’t miss a beat. “Ah yes, well in that case, I recommend a gaming laptop.”

My dad, who has never even played Tetris in his life, walked out of the store with a super-expensive, top-of-the-line gaming laptop that he absolutely did not need. I mean, this thing could run the latest AAA games at max settings, but my dad uses it to check his email.

He doesn’t know this, but I’ve definitely spent some time with that laptop. I’ve run a few games, watched some movies, and let’s be real—I could’ve used that thing to shoot aliens and explore the galaxy. But no, it’s just sitting there, gathering dust, while he continues to use it for PowerPoint presentations.

I’ve been low-key enjoying the perks of his mistake. I don’t feel bad. He never asked me for advice, and well… sometimes it’s nice to have a super-powered laptop that was supposed to be for business.