Tuesday Tango: I can't believe....

I can't believe I'd been afraid to dive out of an airplane.  It was the biggest rush, free falling and floating, diving towards the earth.  Granted I didn't do it alone, strapped to the instructor, a rather odd position to find myself in.  I don't usually get that close to another man unless I'm taking him into custody. A good old fashion headlock with no room to squirm.  Once was enough though.  Beautiful and terrifying.  One more thing to mark off mom's bucket list.  She made me do it. When have you ever been able to say no to your mother?

I can't believe I was intimidated by her.  Here I am, forty years old and she still makes me feel like a child.  That's all me, though.  I like being taken care of...sometimes.  She won't let me see her bucket list. I think she's making it up on the fly. No pun intended.  

I can't believe she never told me about the running of the bulls. She has pictures to prove it, along with the scar on the back of her leg when she fell over a chair in the process.  She likes to tell strangers that was how she and dad met.  One of the bulls tagged her and dad saved her just before almost getting totally trampled.  She's feisty and finicky so I found it hard to believe she'd get down and dirty with the bulls until she showed me proof.

I can't believe how many years it's been since Jessie and I did the same thing.  I looked at mom and called Jessie, put him on speaker phone.  "Hey, man! Mom just showed me a picture of her running with the bulls." 

"No way, Mrs. E."

"Yes dear, believe it." 

Jessie chuckled and said "hang on, I've got a picture you need to see." 

She narrowed her eyes at me and I shrugged.  The phone dinged and I turned it her way.  Her eyes widened at the site of me and Jessie sitting on a wall where we'd jumped to get out of the way of the bulls.  Her spine straightened with a snap.  "You lied to me and told me you'd gone to Portugal."

"We did after a bit of a side trip.  At least we got away without any scars."  

"Gregory," She actually snarled at me.

"Mom!" both Jessie and I said together in a whine like we we used to do in high school. 

She huffed out a breath and shook her head. "Boys."

"Well, you did it first, paved the way."

She smiled and patted me on the back.  "And don't you forget it."



Greg - Eyes in the Ashes