Cruel Joke -

The following events are factual.  Names have been changed to protect the ignorant, taunting individual but the details are accurate, as I was a witness to this crime.  The crime took place on a sunny yet cold March day.  It was St. Patricks Day to be exact, but nothing saintly happened on this day.  The only thing that happened was a cruel joke of which the perpetrator was unaware.  That's right, the person who committed this crime had no idea of the salt he was rubbing in an open wound.  Let's just call him R. Thompson, or Reed T.  What was this dastardly deed you ask? Let me tell you.  It all started when Jake and Reed went outside to fly his new foam airplane, a gift from his uncle for his birthday.  They made a few noble attempts but things were not working out great for this playful pair.  Reed made a final throw and the airplane glided smoothly through the air and landed on the roof.  That's right - it landed on the roof!  Oh, the joy which I felt at that moment.  As I gazed on the scene from the comfort of my living room window my little heart gave a leap of excitement when I saw Reed enter the garage and emerge with a ladder.  A ladder, a sweet, sturdy contraption used to remove Christmas, er I mean Easter lights from a house.  "Today is the day," I thought to myself.  I had not nagged or even mentioned the lights.  I knew that one day my self-motivated husband would realize that the twinkling orbs would need to be removed and he would do it.  I had that much faith in him.  As Jake watched his father ascend the ladder I heard him utter, "Now you can take down the Christmas lights."  That's right Bubba, plant the idea and foster it to fruition.  Encourage the removal and stand by for assistance.  What a dutiful son, my heart swells with pride as I watch.  Reed plants his feet solidly on the roof, retrieves the airplane pieces from the roof, and tosses them lightly to the ground.  He runs across the roof to look for a rocket that was lost months ago, and then - AND THEN (gasp!) - he descends to the ground and puts the ladder away.  That's right.  The ladder is removed from the roof, carried to the door, and replaced in the garage.  My jaw drops, my heart sinks, and all I wanted at that moment is to yell as I pound my frustrated fists on his chest - like in the dramas we have all seen - and scream through my wracking sobs, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"  But I didn't.  I slunk away from the window, the dejection clear in my green Irish eyes and thought "One day.  One day they will come down."  But the question still lurks in my mind "When?"