Friday, August 12, 2011

Laughing With Mama

My phone rang and I was up the road. I answered because it was Mama.
"I'm not sure who jumped higher, me or it."
Silence.
"Who is "it" Mama and jumped higher "how" Mama? "
"I went out the back door (Mama's, Papa's and my stories always have/had to start with early history and move through elaboration, sometimes getting stuck in the elaboration) and thought I'd stick some dirt in a pot and pot one of those plants your sister brought me, so I leaned over to get some dirt out of that bag you know the one that was sitting by my back door in the big pot and while I was at it I thought I'd move that bag too and so I started moving the bag and up it came, high as it could, like right towards my face, it jumped right up at me, and I jumped way up too (now you have to realize that Mama moves very slowly these days and jumping, well...) right in my face, high as it could be, all coiled up and right there at me... and I jumped, I MEAN I JUMPED, CLEAN UP and THEN I GOT OUT OF THERE, not the back door, not by it, NO, I went in the front door. (The back door a foot away, the front door 15 yards.) IT WAS A COPPERHEAD. I KNOW IT WAS A COPPERHEAD BECAUSE I ASKED JEFF AND HE SAID SO, a copperhead IN my face. Right up in my face. I got out of there as fast as I could and I'm still shaking, I'm telling you right up in my face!"

"I'm so....sorry..."

and that was as far as I got because the laughter just took me over and wrapped me up in the hooting, tears, and a little snot, it was the kind of laughing when you are sure, absolutely sure you can also hear the angels snorting behind you.
I could tell she was flustered and maybe offended, but I couldn't say a word, I just kept laughing. I could see it. Mama, the snake, and then Mama moving fast, hellbent on breaking a new speed record, moving at a walker speed of light to the front door and safety.


God, it was funny.

"What's so funny?"

"You, Mama, you, the idea of you moving faster than you'd moved in a decade. I can see it now, I can see you jumping clean up in the air and I can see that walker never touching the ground."

She giggled. In her own mind she saw it too, she's pretty good at "seeing."

I kept laughing. She giggled some more. And then it was the all out kind of laughing that would take us both over for the next 15 minutes and the angels would be snorting in waves around us. We have had a lot of times like that, Mama and I, and many have been "inappropriate." At funerals, at concerts, of the like and worse. These last few years, we haven't had enough of "those" times, not enough of hearing the angels snort either, so it made me happy and it made me glad about a copperhead in the flower pot. 

4 comments:

  1. I was scared half to death, but I love that story and the thought of snorting angels!

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  2. Having been fortunate enough to share a few of those laughing moments with you and your mom in the past, I could envision every detail of this delightful story. Angels snorting indeed! And I'm really glad Mama's okay! Love, Dee

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  3. In memory of the day the walker flew, she could paint racing flames on the walker.

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  4. Lucie, I loved the story. It was hilarious and I can just see and hear you and Ma laughing and snorting! I completely understand the laughing fits when it is “inappropriate”. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall to watch Ma hightail around the house into the front yard!

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