Cousins, Mouse, Flip Flops...

A story about one of many childhood adventures experienced with my cousins.

         

Cousins, Mouse, Flip Flops,

And a Little Red Wagon

Disclaimer: Don't try this at home. This was back when kids worked hard and played even harder.

Sunday get-togethers with family were always something to look forward to. Seeing Aunts, Uncles and all my cousins was a treat. Cousin Teb was a couple of years older and was the closest thing I had to a sister. Being the youngest of the Daniels first cousins, we had many role models and a lot to live up to. Looking back, I'm a bit surprised we survived.

It was one of the Sunday family get-togethers and Teb and I were bored and looking for something to do. The guys were off doing guy stuff and we weren't invited. The rest of the family, the 'girls', were doing what we considered 'boring stuff' in the house. Riding Mouse, her half-Shetland, was always a good way to while away the hours.

So we caught Mouse and rode around bareback for a while.

Maybe Teb got bored with having her younger cousin (that would be me) riding double with her or...and this is just a guess, we may have been influenced by some of our older Daniels cousins. For whatever reason, Teb suggested we get a rope, tie it to their little red wagon and she would pull me around with Mouse.

Okay...I was a couple years younger, so who was I to argue. It would be fun! We got a rope from the barn and proceeded to tie it to the handle of the little red wagon. I might add that the wagon had seen more than a few years of use and was kinda dented (I should've asked how it got so many dents), rusty and... squeaky.

Teb, dressed in shorts and flip flops, climbed back on Mouse and instructed me to climb into the wagon. I had just climbed in and barely sat down, when she clucked to Mouse and gave him a little nudge. They walked along fine until the slack was gone from the rope and the little red wagon began to roll...and...squeak.

Mouse was off like the hounds of hell were after him...jerking the wagon out from under me and dumping me in the dirt before I knew what was goin' on. Shortest wagon ride ever!

That wagon was bouncin' along behind Mouse and Teb...hittin' the ground, with another squeak, every now and then. Luckily, Teb let go of the rope fairly quickly. Might've never seen either one of them again if she'd kept pullin' that wagon.

So, here I am, settin' in the dirt while Teb and Mouse are headed west about as fast as I'd ever seen Mouse run. Not knowing what to do, I walk to the house to report that Mouse had run away with Teb.

I can't remember for sure, but I think she'd gotten Mouse whoaed and was on her way back by the time the very excited, and concerned, moms, sisters, and I got back outside.

Mostly Teb was upset that she had lost a flip flop during Mouse's attempt to put as much distance as possible between himself and the screeching little red demon. A search party was formed, but the flip flop was never found.

So...it turned out the wagon ride was awful short and not nearly as fun as anticipated. Explaining what had caused the runaway wasn't all that fun either. I remember feeling like it was my fault because the wagon had squeaked...after all I was the one almost riding in it. Guilt by association; funny how a kid's mind works.