Secrets Revealed

Yesterday when I was visiting my parent's home my mother showed me something I hadn't seen since I was in grade school. Hanging on her wall was a decorative, ceramic, gold key. I remembered the key instantly as a mother's day gift we had given her when I was in kindergarten. I also recalled the pressing of my older brother, John and older sister, Kathy to not tell mom what we had gotten her. I was so focused and determined on keeping the special secret I was afraid to open my mouth to say anything, in fear that  the words would just spill out and I would spoil the surprise. I survived the ordeal and never did reveal the gift beforehand. I remember the relief that I could again speak without fear.

It happened again when my dad, who was a GM employee, bought a Volkswagen bus. Buying a foreign car was frowned upon and when we had one of his  business colleagues visit our home I was again told NOT to mention the bad car parked inside our garage. I should have just sent myself into my room, a self imposed exile of sorts. Although I know it didn't show it on my face it felt a bit like the words were all in my mouth waiting to explode out. It felt as though I had a puffed out face, like Louis Armstrong on the trumpet, only my cheeks were filled with the words,

MY DAD HAS A VOLKSWAGEN BUS IN THE GARAGE!

I survived this ordeal too.

But one day when I was being teased by an older brother and sister, I went to my mother and told her that they were telling each other secrets and leaving me out. It was then that mother told me a secret that no one else knew and she didn't tell me to keep it to myself. I could share it and it was big...really BIG!
I imagine I ran into the room where John and Kathy were still whispering into each other's ears and spilled it instantly that I had the best secret of all that mom had just shared with me!

It probably took very little time to burst out this secret, that my mother had been married before to someone named Mr. Brown! When John and Kathy respectfully admitted that this was a big and better secret, there was some discussion on whether or not our dad knew.

With great purpose we marched down the stairs to the office basement where dad was working. We entered and asked if we could tell him something he needed to know. I am amazed at how quickly we were willing to throw our mother under the bus but I think we were unable to think about my poor mother because of the intensity of the secret. So there we stood, the three of us, across from the desk where my dad, poor sap, sat waiting to hear our revelation.

"Did you know that mom was married before?"

My dad exclaimed,

"WHAT?!"

He stood up quickly, exited the office swiftly and with the three of us single file behind him, stomped up the stairs to see what would happen next. I imagine with firm voice he confronted my mother,

" What is this about you being married before?!"

Oh boy....
We looked to mom for her explanation. Maybe we were in over our head!

On my mother's face there was a smile.....wait a smile?

and then a simple chuckle.

We had been HAD by dad. He had known about Mr. Brown all along.

And my mother was so tickled by the whole thing she was simply incapable of playing along.

I have often heard this story retold and the mysterious Mr. Brown is  regularly mentioned when Dad teases my Mom.

And just as it was that day long ago my mother's response is a smile and laugh.