You’re Welcome

Have you ever witnessed something that left you feeling stunned but you laughed anyway because it really was funny?

The biennial gathering for my wife’s family reunion was in full swing.  We had all convened in one family’s condo, our condo, to make dinner.  Everyone was visiting and making themselves at home.  No one felt more at ease than my five-year-old.  

My father-in-law, Matt, was relaxing on the couch in the living room when doom surreptitiously approached.  Ethan, as he is known to outsiders, slid silently up beside him and released the latch on the recliner where Matt was seated.  In a split second, the back of the chair disappeared out from underneath him and the footrest sprang up as Matt was propelled backwards with his feet flipped up into the air, over his head. 

The phrase ass-over-tea-kettle comes to mind.  

The spring on that chair was incredibly strong and it knocked the wind out of him as it nearly launched him into the next room.  The room was shrouded in a stunned (and amused) silence, except for Matt's struggling and gasping.

Ethan donned a look of complete satisfaction and before Matt could even come to his senses, he chimed, “You're welcome, Grandpa!” and trotted off down the hall. 

- June 2008