A little too real for comfort...

Given our current difficulties, a few friends came by to help out with the business. The wind was blowing leaves, debris and paper to and fro in the yard as my sons and their father worked with our neighbours, going through tri-walls and sorting items as to what was saleable and what should be desposed of. Often we were sending Noah and Teddy scurrying through the fields to catch long ribbons of computer paper that had escaped and was whipping across the fields until it would wrap itself around a tree or stump.

Gradually the sun warmed the air despite the heavy winds and the work became a little more bearable and our neighbour's wife joined the men outside. I slipped out to say hi and offer her and everyone else a choice of tea, coffee or hot chocolate. Hot chocolate was the favoured response and I returned to the house to put the water on to boil and double check the bathroom in case anyone needed it. Elsa, of late, has discovered that mysterious fountain of water that is at just the right level for her to drop toys in and then dig about trying to retrieve them. This has a habit of leaving the bathroom somewhat unusable. Thankfully the floor was dry for a change and the toilet paper still where it was suppose to be, instead of sitting in the flush soaking up the water.

While I was preparing the hot chocolate, unbeknownst to me a drama was unfolding outside. A gentlemen, tall and thin, drove up and parked his black truck in the drive and walked somberly into the back. With purpose in his stride he walked straight towards our 19 year old son and our neighbour. His demeanor caught my husband's attention causing him to stop what he was doing and watch.

The gentleman announced; "If Ah had ma gun with me , Ah would shoot you right now."
Our neighbour's mouth dropped and my husband sensing trouble quietly moved towards the man. My son fastened his eyes on him, watching his every move, ready to strike with whatever he had in hand if need be. The stranger swung his arm behind his back and chuckled saying;
"In fact, Ah do have mah gun and Ah think Ah will shoot you."

Sensing my husband's 6 foot presence now behind him, his chuckle became a little nervous and he quickly swung his hand out and made a gun shape with his fist! "POW," he said and started to laugh.

Only then did our neighbour relax and start to laugh with him, finally realizing that this was an old aquaintence he had not seen in ages.

His adrenalin still pumping, my son came in and told me the details of this crazy joke. Miguel and I chuckled over it, but I wonder if the stranger realizes how close he had come to being taken down by my 6 ' 4 " 240 lb son and my 6 ' husband. The hot chocolate ready, I called everyone in, while out of the corner of my eye I watched the stranger make his good byes and leave. I was relieved to see him go even though it had been a seemingly harmless prank. In this crazy neighbourhood, you just never know when someone might actually have a gun in the back of their pants and I am not 100 percent convinced that he didn't have a gun, given he has spent a "stretch" as seems the majority in this area have done at one time or another.