220
by kerble_Archive
the Sunday before this past Father's Day, My parents, brother, sister-in-law, baby nephew and I went to Fuddrucker's for a burger dinner. After the delicious burger dinner, we were all parting our ways. Sam, Julie and the baby were going home, my parents were headed home, and I, in a few minutes was going to be going home. I watched everyone head off, and I got situated in my car. So I got out my one hitter and the tiny bag of pot I had folded neatly into my cigarette pack.
I was holding the hitter in one hand and the baggie in the other, when suddenly, there was a knock on my driver's side window. startled, I looked up and saw my Mom. and she looked at me. and then she looked at the pot and the hitter. and then she looked at me again. and back to the drugs.
at this point, I performed the maneuver I like to call the "Two-Card Monty". That is, I quickly swiveled my wrists so my hands cupped the contraband, palm side down.
Now while I've got my sleight of hand going, I'd like to explain why my mom, whom I watched drive away, was standing next to my window.
see, the Saturday before the Sunday before this past Father's Day, My mom and dad took My Brother, baby Kamran, and several of my male cousins out to Comiskular Park to see White Sox band and Houston Astros Band play a show. For the record, I haven't been to a sox game in twenty years, but I've been to a few Cubs games, and am well versed in the rivalry and the arguments the fans have about each others' shortcomings.
From what I can tell, THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE. It's basically the same white people either place.
I digress.
While we were at the game, we had plenty of snackables, and I was hossing on the bag of salted peanuts. chompo chomp chompo chomp. Eat em with the shell, crack 'em open, whatever. So many peanuts, even four of us couldn't finish the bag.
At the end of this game, my mom grabbed the peanuts and took 'em with her.
here's the rub. I have been smoking pot for over twelve years. Casually, habitually, whatever. I've taken years off, and gone back, but I'm always slick. I've never been caught. And here I am, thirty years-old, getting busted with pot by my mom. oh, the shame. and the reason for the bust?
motherfucking peanuts.
I'm sitting in the car, seatbelt on, with drugs under my cupped mitts, dead to rights, and my mom breaks the silence.
"what's that?", she asked, with a very nervously concerned tone.
"uh...nothing."
"no really, what do you have there?"
"nothing?"
then mom upped the stakes:
"Is that Pot?"
"yes."
"WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!?!?"
without skipping a beat, i worked the angles.
"Well, you know how my neck and back hurt all the time (seriously, I had been in a lot of pain for months, upon turning 30, and was crunching advil and aleve, Icy hot rubs, gallons of water, tons of stretching, even heating pads at night, and yet, I had been racked with massive waves of pain for months, with little to no end in sight), and this really makes the pain go away better than ibuprofen."
(this may be true, but you and I and my mom all know why I smoke pot)
sadly, she responded: "I had just thought that you might like the peanuts. I saw them in the backseat of my car and I turned around to bring them to you in case you got hungry when you went home."
she walked away, heartbroken and disappointed. she returned shortly to toss a half-finished bag of peanuts in my lap and walk once again, back to the car and sit in the passenger seat next to my father, who was parked directly in my blind spot.
but the 'talk' didn't happen right away. It wasn't until a week later, on Father's Day, when I attended the ma and pa kerble lecture series on the dangers of marijuana use. however, I did have to see them three times that week, but in completely public situations, and not at times when 'the talk' could easily happen.
On the wednesday, we had to go with mixed company for dinner and shakespeare, and on the thursday, we were setting up the math and reading center mom and I run, and there were parents around in bunches.
we did fiercely whisper to each other, in front of all the parents.
Mom (to dad): "Have YOU talked to HIM YET?"
Dad (to mom): "I haven't had any TIME!"
Me (standing roughly six feet away from them in an otherwise completely silent room, to mom and dad): "I'm standing RIGHT HERE. I can HEAR YOU."
Regardless, the talk on Father's Day was not fun. Fortunately, I'm not a fuck-up, otherwise, so it wasn't a harsh time. besides, I'm so old.
at least I feel old.
oh, the shame.
kerble is right.