I was out behind the shed watering the tomatoes and the eggplant when I heard Charlie calling for me.
“Dad! Dad! Come quick!”
Well, I didn’t go there quick. I didn’t even move. I was tired. Dog tired, actually, after working at the plant all day spray painting the doors to Dodge trucks and then off to work at the feed and seed store at 4pm and just got home a half hour ago at 7:45…I was done running for people.
Charlie came running to the garden screaming: “Dad! There’s a hole in the ground! Like in the movies! The ground is moving! The ground is moving!”
I swiveled around slowly to face him, the water hose blasting the plants, the lawn chair, and finally Charlie. He laughed as he tried to defend himself from the spraying water, yelling for me to cut it out. I dropped the hose and asked him what was so important he had to interrupt the only enjoyment I get the entire day.
His response: “The earth might swallow all of us up!”
I blinked.
“Including your mother?”
“Dad! Yeah!”
“Even Gosomer?” He was our Blue tick hound who had little patience for squirrels, passing cars and generally anyone walking up the drive, including me.
“I said everybody, damn it!” Charlie immediately looked down at the ground and apologized.
“Alright,” I said, removing my hands from my waist. “I’ll look at your moving earth, Charlie Cole, if it will humor you.”
“Dad,” Charlie said with a scoff added at the end. “I wish you’d stop saying if it will humor me, usually when I’m serious nothing will make me laugh.”
Huh. I had to smile at that. Barely twelve and the boy already has his mother’s biting wit.
“Okay, okay. Where’s the hole.”
