"Open Up! This is Daddy!"
This is me as a chubby little cherub.
Juxtapose that with my dashing young father.
Okay, keep those pictures in your head. When I was not much older than this, about 5 really, my older brother, Nathan, moved into the habitable half of the attic as his bedroom. Our younger sister, Rachael had been born, and so our parents decided it was time for the boy to have his own bedroom and the girls would share the 'real' bedroom [there were only 2 in my parents home - they getting the other 'real' bedroom]. The attic has a door on a pulley system, as the door closes down onto the set of stairs leading up to it.
So, one day, our mother was having a private conversation with Nathan in his bedroom. The door was closed. I suspect that one, if not both, were also sitting on the door to further insure no interruption. Although maybe not, at the time the door was crazy heavy with a crazy heavy weight on the other end of the pulley and I doubt that at 5 I could have opened the door on my own.
Anyway, I knew I wasn't allowed to join the conversation. But who could? I bet Daddy could....
So, the big, scruffy 5-year-old girl that I was (I can actually picture myself in some cute dress, too - I adored them at the time), I bellowed out (or so I thought)"OPEN UP! THIS IS DADDY!" Which was quickly followed by a somewhat stunned silence that devolved into obscenely amused laughter. [and "Mara, go away, this is private" - or some such thing]
I still remember thinking, "how do they know?" Maybe that's when I started stealing nickels from the steps up to his room....[um, very, very, very belated apologies, Nae - I know you hated it, accused me of it, and I totally denied it, ahem. as I said - sorry!] Don't know why it was just nickels, but it was.
Comments
I do remember this and the deep voice you tried to copy of mine. LOL. Still LOL. It was hilarious then and is now remembering it. I bet Nae recalls the conversation more than the incident. Tho' he will, I'm sure clarify for us. Nice pic of the top of Mommy's head. Yes you were so cute!
And you loved your little dresses so much!
Posted by: papa | March 5, 2006 7:39 PM
That is so the top of Daddy's head, not mine!
I remember, too. It was so funny.
Posted by: ma | March 5, 2006 11:36 PM
HA! So funny.
I tried sneaking up on my mom once, I'd have been about the same age or a little younger and saying "Grrrr this is the BIG BAD WOLF" And I was just as surprised that she didn't get scared. I remember asking how she knew it was me and I think she said something about being able to see me out of the corner of her eye. Which was charitable of her, I suppose.
Posted by: sashwee | March 6, 2006 10:44 AM
Really, Maman? I thought it was you, too. The hair is so close to black - and straight - I figured it was you.
Posted by: Mara | March 6, 2006 11:44 AM
You stole all those nickels?
You mean, all this time, I've been harboring...oh, I can't keep this up. It's no problem, Mara. You're forgiven. They were just nickels. I was a lot more upset when you swiped a razor - one was a gift from Daddy, one had been Poppop's (which was a pain to use, and dangerous, too - "Shaves what other razors miss" was the slogan, and it was right, too. Skin, for instance.) and you felt that it was unfair that you had none and I had two.
It probably was unfairl, but I just couldn't part with either one, because one had been from Daddy and one had been from Poppop. I still have them both, but haven't been able to find double-edged Blueblades for a few years. And anyway, I'm sorry I ate those chocolate chips and then blamed it on you. I'm really, really sorry. I know I've been sorry before, but I'm still sorry. I'm actually getting a slight headache thinking about how bad I felt. I remember I was actually sick and threw up from the guilt at the time I felt so bad.
Yes, I remember the "This is Daddy!" It was so funny that it felt almost churlish to turn you away, like something that bold almost deserved to acknowledged. But I think I was mad at you for something, probably trivial but seeming gigantic in my childhood mind.
Anyway, don't worry about the nickels. They're yours. Consider them a retrospective gift. Speaking of which, I have yours here but am way to lazy to get it in the post, so it might take a while.
Posted by: Nathan Dornbrook | March 6, 2006 9:44 PM