Happy Easter!

Original post: March 23, 2008

The following takes place between 3:30 PM and 4:30 PM.

Here’s a story illustrating why I love my brother and sister-in-law. Since today was Easter, the three of us ended up having dinner with my parents. Typical family stuff; good food, idle chit-chat, etc. Sometime after the first round of stuffing my face, my mother gives us this gem:

Mom: (to Jeff) Did you know that Fritz (their oldest cat) will be 17 this June?
Jeff: No, actually, I didn’t know that...
Dad: You wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at him. He still runs around, eats healthy...
Mom: And he still beats off the younger cats when they get too close.

That statement was followed by a minute and a half of uncomfortable silence while the three of us avoided eye contact. I stared at my plate, biting my tongue, so I’m not sure what Jeff and Renae were doing. But, then I heard one of them lose it, and all hell broke loose. We were laughing so hard, we all had to excuse ourselves from the table. I got up to refill my glass, and after I had calmed down, I returned to my seat. My mother was staring at me, so I grinned widely.

Mom: Someone gonna tell me what that was all about?
Me: (awkward pause) I’m not saying it...
Jeff: I just made a funny face, that’s all.
Mom: Oh, OK.

Whew. Crisis averted. Until the next holiday, at least.