Laughter has always been the great equalizer in most families. No matter how fancy your pants are, or how much clout you think you possess, it it’s funny we will all laugh at your expense… Fondly… but we will… with love in our hearts for you… but still… we will laugh! And, somehow, that makes us all the same when we laugh together.
I’ve told this story several times to the bros… but tonight via chat line, Nate asked me to “tell the story about Grandpa…. you know the one.” And yes I do know. So, Nate, for you… Here it is.
We were there in Nogales visiting my folks and Dad asked if I wouldn’t mind running over to Uncle Eddie’s to pick up some whiskey Eddie had purchased for him. I said okay and Hubby and i jumped in the car and headed for Uncle Eddie’s place. When we got there, Eddie was having a glass of apple juice. The glass container from which it came was still sitting out on the counter. Uncle Eddie took out the bottle of whiskey and sit it on the counter next to the apple juice container.
Interesting. The bottles were about the same size. Interesting. I noticed the color of the two liquids were identical. Very interesting.
“Uncle Eddie,” said I. “Look at the booze and the apple juice. How ’bout we play a joke on Dad. Let’s switch the apple juice with the whiskey and give that to Dad… I’ll tell Dad that you drank his booze, but that you’ll replace it and bring him a bottle tomorrow. How ’bout it?”
Uncle Eddie was “in,” the minute I said “let’s play a joke on Dad.” So we switched the booze and the apple juice. As I picked up the container to leave with Dad’s whiskey, Eddie and Hubby both told me that if this prank went bad, they were ratting me out and saying the had nothing to do with it.
It takes courage to be the instigator of a prank! Someone has to have enough guts to be the fall buy if it goes bad. So I weighed the worst that could happen, and walked out the door with the booze in the apple juice bottle. All I could think was that this one could be a really good prank… and if Dad got mad, it would be so worth it. Yep, I could do this.
Okay. We get back to my folks house. Dad is in the kitchen. I walk in with the apple juice bottle and pull it out of a brown paper bag. “Dad, Uncle Eddie said to tell you he was sorry, but he drank your whiskey and he’ll be by later in the week with another bottle. He sent me home with this apple juice to make up for it.”
Dad took one look at what he thought was apple juice and he was ticked. He had been looking forward to that drink he was going to mix. Now there would none of that. I casually looked over at Hubby who was white as a sheet. I don’t think his family risked their lives with parents the way siblings (well this sibling) did. He lest the room. I waited to see if Dad would have the apple juice right then. No! He just put it in the refrigerator. “Oooops. Hmmm… If Mom has the first drink by accident in the morning, this could go very bad for me,” I’m thinking. “In fact, Dad could turn back into The Commander” and sort of shoot me at sunrise with a lot of verbal and then God knows what in labor. And if Mom drinks it and cries (She was not good with this kind of humor if she was the target)… On man, I’m dead meat.”
Hubby is now back in the kitchen and sees that the apple juice has gone to the frig. He is giving me a look that says, “Insane woman. DEAD-tomorrow-insane-woman! And remember that I don’t know you if this goes bad.”
The next morning. We’re all up. So far no one has wanted to have apple juice. I’m thinking this could also be egg on my face if the bros want this apple juice because Dad will see that he was the target and go for getting even. “In your sleep, Carolyn… POW!”
And then it happened. Dad opened the refrigerator and pulled out the apple juice. He took a glass from the cupboard and poured a big glass of the liquid. Everything is moving in slow motion with excitement.
I look at Hubby… “Dang!” I’m thinking, “Stop smiling!!!! Are you nuts?”
Dad reaches for the glass. It’s in his hand now… moving toward his mouth… Down it goes, a really big slug of it. He swallows. A couple of seconds pass. His eyes begin to water and he gasps for air. Some superlatives that shall go unmentioned were uttered on his part… then he says, “Ya could’a killed me!”
I can’t stop myself. I am roaring with laughter. Hubby is laughing too. The bros are wondering what’s going on. Mom see what’s happened and she’s laughing too. I laugh until I cry. Dan is now laughing too. And the bros laugh because we’re laughing.
****
At first Dad thought it was Eddie who planned this little prank at his expense. But Hubby ratted me out. Some is always ratting me out… do you notice that? It’s okay though… Laughter is always worth the price. It feels so good to smile, doesn’t it? And, to laugh together? So Good!
Dad looked at me that morning, and I could see it in his eyes. He knew I got him good. And, at some level down inside ourselves, we both knew he was proud of his daughter… the one that reminded him of himself.
May laughter grace your life tonight and in the week to come.
Best… Carolyn Thomas Temple