I was still a time before that in my memories, I was still
all child, the adventures at Marks would have many lake ventures, big lake
little lakes, ponds galore in trips ,and were doubling as visits awaiting the
Summer reunion. We did that, all the families each year would all gather in
Minnesota, and each trip we would sure off to make our different rounds the
reunion being held at different homes though out the years, and such was how I
moved about often, and this year it was at Aunt Irene and Jim Fisher's. The
house inside at Mark's down stairs was where we kids played the age old games
of Life, Monopoly, Checkers, and card games beginning with War, Old Maid, and
Slap Jack was a favorite, and brought the most hoots and the biggest reward.
Whomever could pull slap a jack was the King or Queen of slap jacks. I would be
waiting with hand poised as it took every card slowly at first then the flip,
all hands ready for a jack, and we kept the pace going around, tension like a
mouse trap lay in the air until 'Whack" a jack would appear, and we would
all dive for it, whacking late or not. The air erupted into laughs and hoots,
mixed with a occasional squeal or Marks attack "Har har" which was
his winning noise to except it was kind of a little more drawl out on the last
"har", and really I was amazed that he could say it every time he
slapped at a jack. It was always Mary or Mark who won really, sometimes Joe
would get mean and "BBBB' his way into victory when he played with us. Joe
was made to play by his mom and "Play nice!" by his father, so in all
he played half the time. This year I was practiced up, and determined to win a
game, and had played slap jack with all the neighborhood boys who played a lot
rougher than my cousins, like I said before this place was a place out of time,
a gentle place compared to the world that would not could not accept me, so I
had learned from other mean boys and fast boys how to win. I could in a fair
fight win I felt, then again the tension would grow we each would be hovering
and my new strategy was I could chew bubble gum and walk, in essence. I had my
had locked back like a arm of a catapult, but where as a catapult starts slowly
I had trained my right arm to make lightning dashes and slaps on jacks.
"Slap" and in a round Mark and the "har har" became a
"har har" going up in tone at
a good play or down in tone on a missed attempt for it was just Mary and I
playing. Mark and his "har hars" soon became referee of slaps
deciding who was the winner. Mary was on "Woop!" full on each getting
louder with a occasional "Woop!" that dislodged her like a mini hop
off the couch, Joe would "BBB" watching, while Marks "hars"
were coming in a crescendo as the last jack finally fell our orchestra came to
full hilt with me jumping up and down doing my happy dance. Saying, "I
won" my little body doing a little dance like James Brown mixed with
Elvis, Joes "BBBBb' in derogatory cause he hated it when I won, anything,
Mary let her whole batch of "Whoops" in one big blast, that hurt my
ears the "HAR" that came out of Mark was deep and long, and about
this time the door from up stairs opens and uncle Jim yells down, "You
kids hold it down." We all looked at each other, I was looking at them
because it was their dad and I had no idea why they were looking at me. Somebody
had to say something or he would not leave until recognized. There is a very
long moment that happens when children are stopped from play, it is a magic
time warp that is a secret and I should not reveal this, but in the interest of
understanding why kids when caught stand completely still; they are all in a
long, long minuet where in just a few glances as if by telepathy the children
decide who is it, and being it isn't good. "Yes."
peeped up Mary a mere squeak compared to a minuet ago. Uncle Jim started his
way back up the stairs time came back to normal but god takes care of kids and
left us in time warp long enough to not get caught as we resumed our brew ha,
in hushed tones which of course added in the fear of more rebuke and the mirth
of the game we were lots in crack up zone for a few minutes joshing each other,
and resumed our game with a "See; I told you BBB" from Joe, games
were a rush with people to play all the time. Games we played, or in the case
now presented on me, the attack of the "Har Har's" staged by none
other than Mark.
Mark
decided to take his "Har Har" as a gag routine on the road which
meant I was the recipient of a new kind of, fun? It started bright and early
when Mark had decided the night before to play his first show in grand manner.
I was dead asleep. I mean kid sleep lost among dreams of games and corn flakes
with honey. "HAR HAR" I want to stop now and tell you about sound as
in impacts a kid from a distance of two inches for first the eyes jolt open and
there was marks face with a big grin, a happy grand grin. Next the body reacts
to such a state as the deafening wave rolled across me for it was a "Har
Har" from some wild place let lose upon my bed, the poor soul in it, and the
residing motion is backwards always away from such a surprise attack. My eye's
then reacted in pace with the action, it then quickly ran traveling along my arms
and legs ending in with my fingers, sticking straight out like, twigs in a
potato and the toes tried to emulate but fell short, at some point the brain
begins to start making sense to this attack, and decided a scream kind of lost
like would issue forth," Whaa" it was not successful at first but
then, "MMM" I was getting close. "Mark!" "Stop
it" as he had taken his grin and up graded it again, with mirth. This I to
would catch off the back end of his attacks, for him scaring me was cracking me
up. We would be doing dishes, big family you got back up wash or dry, and we
would have our turn, working right as a child and the unsuspecting child gets slammed with
"Har Har" in the middle of his shift, which was really just enough to
knock me out of my socks, so I go down stairs to get a new pair and he is hanging
from the ceiling, "Har Har". He would take me in the walled in area
under the house where the salt tablets were then disappear, and then. He would reappear a
"Har Har" on the attack. I went through a lot of socks in a week. In the
yard, playing games, I was under a "Har Har" barrage putting the very
air we lived in for a week shimmered with the game laughter flight fright, and foolishness
of it all finally came to an abrupt end. Uncle Jim did not want another "har"
or and relation to "har" in the house or anywhere. The attacked stopped.
We were always up to something, kids, cousins. "Mark is my favorite cousin."
I would say to Dad and Mom.
We
would often attend the lakes on weekends and we all knew this one place well,
and while the parents were un packing and doing their meeting we kids would
rush for the water. It was a mad dash because Mary said "It's a race to
the platform" all while the station wagon was coming to a stop and we would be off. Little bodies all swarm
in the wagon, then it was a mad dash and even though us boys could get to the
water first Mary was a good swimmer. I would be about 2pm on the lake, and the
water was black and clear with a hint of green where the Sun shown new the
shores the green was either a sandy , or rocky shore with a small pier, we
would all dash off the end, letting our little bodies, become soaring projectiles
all picking a different way to enter, Mary short but graceful, Mark, he was allowed
a good amount of jovial around the house because all in good spirits would be
way up in the air waving his arms feet trailing his out of control with some
"Aruugh" exploding, Joe would wade in a short rush and then swim,
kind a little short run in the water next to us, I and I tried to pick a spot
to land in the water where no one else was. "Splash" and the world erupted
in water like we came to attack the calm quiet lapping water with whoops and
tears in her surface as we landed explosions . Each of us then in best form we
could swam making white trails of bubbles across the surface. About then I
would come up and begin to swim to. I loved to be under water and often would
go under things or swim the length of the pool. We would put our best into it
for the platform was pretty far out. It was just a bunch of plastic barrels
with a couple layers of wood topped with green plastic grass, with a little
board and a stationary anchor underneath leading to the bottom. The lake was
deep enough, we never went down to far; I would ever once and a while take my dive
a swim or two deeper before I began my assent. Today we reach our goal all most
the same time arriving at different sides. I had went for the ladder, Mary the
close side, Mark and I would be side by side and really Joe didn't see the
point in games, even as a youth. We reach our goal a little raft in the middle
of the lake, gently bobbing up and down, that was the final straw, a jump or two
off the side and it was too late. You see it was a long way to swim back to the
shore then up to the house and into to the bathroom soaking lake water wet
being dried by some such parent with a towel as I barreled through the house
so, instead I made to the far corner of the raft, pulled off my swim trunks and
pushed. I want to call not fair at this point because every time you sit on a toilet
it goes down. A brown terd made its way to the surface right next to me, I call
not fair again because I had no time to explain' "It should go down."
Before Mary went, "EEEWWW he pooped' and I was bearing down on another
right as she said that. By then everybody looked and Mary was already heading
back, a second terd longer than the first popped its head up out of the water
like a little mini brown turtle and then lay flat for all to see. I was busy
trying to get my shorts back on it was a clean shot with two out nothing
lingered. Both Mark and Joe had taken a look and mark was like "You popped
in the lake, ha ha" and dove of the
side heading back, Joe "BBb" stipud and was gone with a grunt and a
little "grr' because he had to head back, I was having trouble because the
big one was getting close and my shorts weren't going on easy. I swam backwards
with both little brown ships following me for a few strokes like they didn't
want to leave home base, again ironic they usually want out and down, terds
that is. Mary made shore in record time. Mark kind of waited watching and
laughing because, I was going up and down with two terds intent on catching me
trying to get my pants on. I got them
swim trunks back on finally, and headed in Mark and Joe were making landing and
I was a minute behind.
