CHARGE!

Early Memories

As children we watched a lot of TV. Some of our best and worst ideas came from the television. My sister, who is 5 years older than me, always seemed to think of the best plans. Those sort of plans that if anything went askew, she would look innocent and victimized, while my brother and I were obviously the evil villains whose wickedness knew no bounds.

One such plan ran this way.

At some point my sister and brother had watched some TV show where the star of the show and several other helpers had used a pole or beam of some sort to "charge" into battle. My brother was fascinated with the idea of "charging" as a means of attaining domination. My sister on the other hand saw an opportunity and with a steely glint in her green eye, hatched the following plan.

Taking the family broom, she placed herself as leader of the pack, holding on firmly to the end of the broom handle. My brother was placed at the middle of the handle as the brawn behind the brains. I, at the young age of 2.5 held on to the bristles and readied myself to run as fast as I could as my sister and brother prepared to take the enemy. Taking off running through the den, we rounded the corner into the kitchen where my mother was working. My sister and brother, not quite in unison, yelled "CHARGE" and before my startled mother could prepare for the blow or defend herself, we had ramrodded her with the broom stick and knocked her flat on the floor.

I don't remember her reaction. I remember hanging on to the end of the broom and trying to keep up. Years later though when my mother would retell the story, she would always laugh at the sight of me holding on to the bristles of the broom, barely big enough to hang on. She was a good sport. Mother never forgot to mention that my sister denied (and still denies) hatching the plan in the first place.