A Funny Thing

     One day our family went on a picnic in the woods, near the little creek.  It was hot that day, even in the mountains where we were.  Mother and Daddy told us to go play while they took naps, but said that we should not go near the water.

     My brother was about eleven or twelve years old. He was very skinny. He was playing near the creek and he lost his balance and fell in.  The water was very cold. He climbed out but his clothes were as wet as a washcloth in bathwater. We didnt bring any extra clothes for any of us. We didnt have sweaters or jackets or blankets.  The only blanket there was, was the one under Mama and Daddy. 

     Our parents woke up really fast and used the blanket to dry my brother a little, but his clothes were still very wet.  My mother only had one thing that she considered "extra", her rubber girdle.  A girdle was like really tight panties that held your tummy tight.  It had little dangly things called garters that pantyhose attached to.  She hid behind the car and took it off. My dad put Jim into the car and told him to take his clothes off. Then he took the girdle from Mama, handed it to Jim and told him to put it on till they could dry his clothes near the fire.  When Jim came from the car, he was holding the white, rubber girdle by both hands and looking very disturbed.  It was so big that two of him could have fit into it.

     I couldnt help it, I started giggling, then burst out laughing and laughing. His skinny, white legs with knobby knees just looked soooo funny.  And the look on his face was soooo funny.  I still laugh and it is still fresh in my memory.