聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 My husband and I went out for dinner the other night. At the end of the meal, when the waitress came to pick up his empty plate, I knew what was coming next and the scenario that would next play out. I knew what was about to transpire because I had been witness to it many, many times.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The waitress asks, 鈥淗ow was your meal?鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 And unfailingly my husband replies, 鈥淣ot very good 鈥� as you can see by my plate.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Then he quickly goes on to explain that he was only joking and the meal was just fine. At one time I would have been annoyed by this little scene, but lately I just shake my head and chuckle.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Maybe his attempts at humour are an inherited trait. My late father-in-law had his own little joke that he told and retold. Our children would secretly smile and maybe even roll their eyes when their Gedo couldn鈥檛 see, but they were always polite enough to laugh at his groaner of a joke.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Whenever I served pie for dessert, Gedo would say, 鈥淐ut that pie into six pieces because I can鈥檛 eat eight.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 I waited for that witty line of his every time I asked what type of pie he wanted. (I usually prepared two choices. Oh, by the way, his second famous line when asked that question was, 鈥淏oth.鈥�)
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Now, it鈥檚 been over 10 years since Ken鈥檚 dad passed away. Yet every time I serve pie, I picture him sitting at the table, waiting like an eager child for my question.聽 And I still chuckle over his sheer enjoyment when he delivered that line.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 When I was growing up, our next door neighbour in town had some strange pronunciations of common words. Nellie always carefully said 鈥淎l-a-berta鈥� instead of 鈥淎lberta,鈥� and called pancakes, 鈥減anny cakes.鈥� She had many more such bloopers, but, for some reason, these two stuck with me. There was nothing difficult about these words, so I wondered why someone didn鈥檛 correct her. I now realize how endearing those misuses were.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Many years later, I sometimes purposely employ her mispronounced words in fond recollection of a sweet lady.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 As a writer, I am always looking for new ways to say old ideas. After all, that鈥檚 the essence of writing. But I am bothered by the idea that down the road, long after I am gone, no one will remember me by some often told joke or some catch-phrase of my own. It would be nice if my grandchildren could fondly muse, 鈥淕randma always said鈥︹��
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 A good friend of ours has his own expression. 鈥淭hat dog won鈥檛 hunt anymore,鈥� he offers on a regular basis. It鈥檚 a great phrase. I love it! I would love to use it, but it鈥檚 his. He owns it and it has become part of his persona.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 That is exactly the kind of aphorism I desire. So I鈥檓 on the hunt to find my own clever, colourful one-liner that folks will be sure to remember. I鈥檓 going to have to think about it鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Until then, 鈥淪ee you later, alligator.鈥�
