Smile When You Say That

In my family, you only tease people you love. I've always known I was well loved. I was certainly well teased.

One of my favorite memories would have to be the night when the three boys and I were watching a Lakers game together on television. They used to laugh at me because I always watched TV with a book on my lap. Whenever the commercials came on, I'd open the book and tune out for the duration of the paid messages. I never cared what was being advertised. I always felt my reading time was precious, although I managed to find more than most people I ever knew.

Have you ever been reading a book, or involved in something, and realized that somebody has asked you a question? That's what happened that particular evening. What makes it memorable is that I tried to figure out what the question was instead of saying, "Huh?"

I mentally rewound the tape in my head and figured out what I thought I had been asked. Their three faces were all looking at me quite intently when I looked up at them. I thought I knew what I had been asked, and fairly quickly came up with an answer... an apparently inappropriate answer. I was rewarded with three very blank faces.

Finally, Tighe looked at his brothers and calmly asked, "If Mom gets Alzheimer's, how will we know?"

I never did find out what the question was. The game started back up, and the subject was never revisited, although I never forgot Tighe's teasing remark, or let him forget it.