There are moments in our lives that seem so ordinary but turn into something we never forget. Some of those moments are funny, others are embarrassing, and many are both. Recently, I wrote about the stories my son tells about me and I told about my dad. And then my mom reminded me that my dad always had one on my grandparents.
It was during their big family trip to the Grand Canyon when my dad was maybe 8 or 10. My grandparents stopped at an overlook on the way, maybe in Arkansas or Oklahoma. My dad had fallen asleep in the back seat but awoke when the car stopped. He saw his parents admiring the view. He stretched, followed them and stood nearby, gazing out.
Suddenly, he heard a car engine start. He turned to see his parents pulling out of the parking lot. They thought he was still asleep in the backseat. He waved, thinking they would stop, but his parents kept going. He panicked and chased them down the road, waving his arms. The car was too fast and he was left behind.
In my dad’s telling, he ran for half a mile or so, feeling defeated, unable to see the car anymore.
Further down the road, my grandmother turned around and screamed, “Joey’s not in the backseat!” My grandfather whipped the car around. They found my dad in the road, still chasing them. My grandmother leapt out of the car and hugged my dad. They both cried. I can only imagine how my grandparents felt but I know that memory of intense fear and relief stuck in my dad’s mind for his whole life. Thank goodness everyone was safe that day.
And thus the karmic wheel of parent-child teasing keeps turning!
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