Anecdotes from the Archive

I was reminded of this amusing incident by a post on another website where I'm a contributor.  This falls under the category of "Things you never told mom."

When my brother was in his early teens, he had jaw surgery which resulted in his mouth being wired shut for several weeks.  He was not supposed to go to school, a precaution to make sure he didn't get bumped or jostled too much while healing.

At the time, I was in the midst of an interstate move.  In an effort to alleviate some of his boredom, I asked Tom to join me on my drive to California.  We listened to music, enjoyed the scenery through Lake Tahoe, and I had lots of fun at Tom's expense...  It's fortunate that he was a good sport. 

When it came time to eat, Tom didn't have many choices.  In fact, he usually ordered a milkshake because that's all he could sip through a straw.  Of course, I pretended not to know what he wanted to order, and insisted on making him place his own orders at the drive thru window.  It still makes me giggle a little when I think about how many times he had to repeat himself so they could understand him!

Of course, I was in a bit of a hurry, and Tom was supposed to be navigating.  I'm not sure if it was inept navigating or a streak of vindictiveness, but he took us on quite a roundabout journey. 

Regardless, we made it.  We spent time at the beach, sipping milkshakes together.  It was beautiful...