itsmecindi
Gold Member
I left the house early one day last week to go fill out a job application for the phosphate mine. Jake wanted to go with me so that he could get a haircut before he went to school. That's when I saw the massive dent in the side of my pickup at the end of the bed right behind the passenger door.
After I went through my little foot stomping, rain dance type conniption fit, it dawned on me that Jake was standing there quietly staring at the ground. He might as well have had GUILT written across his forehead in four inch red letters. Neon even. Blinking.
"What happened to my truck, Jake?"
"I dunno."
"You're telling me you don't know what did this?"
"Uh huh." Still staring at the ground.
"Jake...!"
"OKAY! Well, I mighta done it, I could have maybe, I think, but I'm not sure."
"Whaddya mean you COULDA done it. LOOK at it!" In two big steps I was up against the truck and placed my entire torso inside the dent. "You can fit a body in here, look at this! You had to notice!"
Then a horrible thought hit me...
"Tell me you didn't run over anybody!"
"No!" Snort. "I didn't run over anybody. I think I mighta sideswiped a tree when I went back to check the hog trap."
"You think you mighta......you're just kind of easing your way into this aren't you. Did you think I wouldn't notice?"
"Well, I was hoping."
"You think this is bad, wait til your daddy sees it."
"You gonna tell him?"
"What? That you did it? Dang right! I'm gonna hang you out to dry so fast it'll make your head spin, cause the only other explanation is that I did it and I'll be danged if I'M takin' the heat over this."
"Well, thanks a lot. Can you at least wait 'til he notices it by himself?"
Pfffftt. Ha ha.
"Okay son, but don't expect it to take long."
That evening when Fred got home from work, Jake and I were outside getting ready to feed.
"Remember," Jake said under his breath, "let him notice on his own."
I heard the door close on Fred's truck and I glanced at Jake.
"Five....four....three...." I whispered to Jake, counting down. I looked over my shoulder at Fred. By the time I hit two.......
"Where the heck did this dent come from!? What happened? Who put this dent in the truck!!??"
"See...I told...." I turned to look back at Jake and he was gone. Nothing but a little puff of dust where he had been standing.
I explained to Fred what happened and noted the subtle variations between his rain dance conniption and mine. Once he calmed down he asked where Jake was. I pointed at the spot where he had been standing.
"Well, that's where he was about six seconds ago. Now I can't say. He's on the lam again."
That made him laugh.
"That boy could tear up a steel ball bearing in a sand pile with a rubber hammer."
"Yeah well, we knew that all along didn't we. This didn't sneak up on us." It dawned on me that the hens in the hen house were fussing and I knew then where Jake had gone.
"He'll have to pay to fix it, even if he works it off."
"Sounds fair to me." I said. I bent down and grabbed a feed bucket, and Fred bent down and grabbed the other two.
"I'll take care of the boars and the chickens." He said.
"No...I'll get the chickens, you get the boars."
"Whatever." Off he went.
I went into the chicken yard and located Jake back behind the laying boxes, and told him he could come out, but not to come out without a plan for how to make right what he'd done.
"I can do that." He said, his face all shiny and hopeful.
This much is true. When it comes to making up and sucking up, Jake is in a class by himself. Lord knows he's had plenty of practice. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
After I went through my little foot stomping, rain dance type conniption fit, it dawned on me that Jake was standing there quietly staring at the ground. He might as well have had GUILT written across his forehead in four inch red letters. Neon even. Blinking.
"What happened to my truck, Jake?"
"I dunno."
"You're telling me you don't know what did this?"
"Uh huh." Still staring at the ground.
"Jake...!"
"OKAY! Well, I mighta done it, I could have maybe, I think, but I'm not sure."
"Whaddya mean you COULDA done it. LOOK at it!" In two big steps I was up against the truck and placed my entire torso inside the dent. "You can fit a body in here, look at this! You had to notice!"
Then a horrible thought hit me...
"Tell me you didn't run over anybody!"
"No!" Snort. "I didn't run over anybody. I think I mighta sideswiped a tree when I went back to check the hog trap."
"You think you mighta......you're just kind of easing your way into this aren't you. Did you think I wouldn't notice?"
"Well, I was hoping."
"You think this is bad, wait til your daddy sees it."
"You gonna tell him?"
"What? That you did it? Dang right! I'm gonna hang you out to dry so fast it'll make your head spin, cause the only other explanation is that I did it and I'll be danged if I'M takin' the heat over this."
"Well, thanks a lot. Can you at least wait 'til he notices it by himself?"
Pfffftt. Ha ha.
"Okay son, but don't expect it to take long."
That evening when Fred got home from work, Jake and I were outside getting ready to feed.
"Remember," Jake said under his breath, "let him notice on his own."
I heard the door close on Fred's truck and I glanced at Jake.
"Five....four....three...." I whispered to Jake, counting down. I looked over my shoulder at Fred. By the time I hit two.......
"Where the heck did this dent come from!? What happened? Who put this dent in the truck!!??"
"See...I told...." I turned to look back at Jake and he was gone. Nothing but a little puff of dust where he had been standing.
I explained to Fred what happened and noted the subtle variations between his rain dance conniption and mine. Once he calmed down he asked where Jake was. I pointed at the spot where he had been standing.
"Well, that's where he was about six seconds ago. Now I can't say. He's on the lam again."
That made him laugh.
"That boy could tear up a steel ball bearing in a sand pile with a rubber hammer."
"Yeah well, we knew that all along didn't we. This didn't sneak up on us." It dawned on me that the hens in the hen house were fussing and I knew then where Jake had gone.
"He'll have to pay to fix it, even if he works it off."
"Sounds fair to me." I said. I bent down and grabbed a feed bucket, and Fred bent down and grabbed the other two.
"I'll take care of the boars and the chickens." He said.
"No...I'll get the chickens, you get the boars."
"Whatever." Off he went.
I went into the chicken yard and located Jake back behind the laying boxes, and told him he could come out, but not to come out without a plan for how to make right what he'd done.
"I can do that." He said, his face all shiny and hopeful.
This much is true. When it comes to making up and sucking up, Jake is in a class by himself. Lord knows he's had plenty of practice. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
