Childhood Flash Back 3 of 10

I was sitting in the weeping willow tree with Hamilton and Alston when my dad and the neighbor started arguing. My dad never did get along with the people who lived in the little house behind the shop. They thought for some reason that the bulk rock left outside was fair game for them to use or sell. It was a serious point of contention.

After then both huffed back inside we decided to take matters into our own hands. After all my parents had always taught us to stick up for one another. So we thought that's what we were doing when we filled up 5 gallon buckets of mud...

We had only gotten one side of the neighbors truck "painted" when he saw us though the window. Darting behind the bushes did us no good... our neighbor march outside screaming at the top of his lungs. He didn't even bother to look for us he marched into the shop and pulled my dad to the back yard. Pointing and screaming and screaming and pointed. We had been proud of our work until my dad started scanning the yard for us. He knew were we'd be.... he promised the neighbor he'd fix the problem and even offered to send us out to wash the truck. Which our lovely neighbor declined.

I was sure we were going to be grounded for a year. Instead after asking why we mudded the truck and hearing our explanation which I am sure involved the phrase "standing up for you dad" at least a thousand times my dad gave us a stiff "don't do it again" and nearly ran to the office and slammed the door before we could get another word in edge wise. As a child I always thought he was so upset he couldn't even find thew ords to punish us. As an adult I realize now it was one of those moments he couldn't punish us with out busting a gut with laughter so he chose not to let us see the laughter and punish ourselves.