Monday, May 17, 2010

The Poke


It was sunny, warm, and pleasant this past Saturday evening in Seattle while Mrs. LIAYF, Lukas and I were out for a stroll through our neighborhood business district.

In fact, it was the kind of Spring evening which convinced many of the local restaurants that it was time to open their windows to the passing world, letting the sounds and smells of their early evening meals drift outward to snare unsuspecting passersby into their deep-fried web of enticing comfort food.

As we passed by our favorite eating establishment we were quickly rendered nearly powerless by the allure it presented. Though we tried our best to resist eating out once again, a large empty table by an open window and a quick check of my watch, which revealed it to be 5:45PM, sealed the deal.

It was still Happy Hour!

Although Lukas was a bit fidgety and didn't want to stay in his chair - preferring to crawl under the table every few moments to search for various items meant to distract him that he had dropped - Mrs. LIAYF and I sipped our $2.50 pints of Manny's pale ale, ate our chicken quesadillas, and enjoyed the ambiance that the atmosphere provided. A little while later, while we chatted about the day, I raised my pint glass to finish off my first beer.

It was then that I felt an unsuspecting jab in my ribcage.

It wasn't overly hard or painful, but it definitely caught my attention. I immediately looked to my left where, on the passing sidewalk, stood a boy perhaps a bit older than Lukas. He had a big smile on his face and an outstretched finger!

Upon seeing this, his mother who had been distracted tending to a younger child, was suddenly struck with a horrified look on her face. She came running over and pulled the boy away. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed as she backed the boy away with an obvious grimace of displeasure on her face.

Mrs. LIAYF and I simply looked at each other for a moment, taking in what had transpired...then began to simultaneously laugh out loud at the situation.

"No, no - it's ok. Really!" I explained to her, still smiling at my wife as I stuck out my thumb and pointed it towards a still distacted Lukas.

"We completely understand."

11 comments:

WILLIAM said...

I am jealous of you sipping beers at a restaurant. Since I now have three boys we do not have much relaxing with a beer time.

Homemaker Man said...

This is why I always always always drink alone. Always.

Anonymous said...

I asked my little girl to grab my beer for me the other day at a cook out we had. I heard they were good for that.

James (SeattleDad) said...

@William - We are enjoying what we can, while we can.

@Homemaker Man - Hey whatever works for you.

@HandstoWar - Might as well put them to good use.

Mrs. M said...

Sounds fun (except the sharp poke). At first I thought you were going to end up in the ER, so glad it wasn't anything more serious than a child having fun. :)

WeaselMomma said...

I love moments like this. Not only can we enjoy other children than our own, we don't feel so alone in the world as parents dealing with this nonsense constantly.

Lady Mama said...

Happens to me all the time! I should just wear a sign that say's "I'm very sorry".

Ed said...

Amazing how our tolerance levels change after kids.

If I Could Escape . . . said...

Jealous! It's so much harder to get out and enjoy that kind of early evening when you have three boys so when we do it, we relish it.

Jack Steiner said...

Not the kind of poke one hopes to enjoy, but...

Captain Dumbass said...

I'd pay to see you in that outfit.