| Sunny Side Up November 23, 2005 �2005, Kathleen Gibson Angels do so attend rodeos "There's a rodeo tonight," my daughter Amanda said a few weeks ago. "Kendall and I would like to go. We haven't had a night out for a while." I suspect that was a subtle invitation for me to offer to watch my favorite human bein'. Our grandson, Benjamin, seven months now. But the Preacher and I hadn't had a night out recently either. The men bought four tickets to the event at the hockey arena - front row seats, rinkside. Next to the buck chutes. Benjamin got preferred seating. He prefers laps, usually his mom's. No charge. As we put the seats down on our orange chairs, I peered through the glass at the broncs, restless in the chutes. "Hmm�this is pretty close...what if something hits the glass?" "It's Plexiglas," someone answered. I settled. The Preacher settled. We all settled. Even Benjamin settled, captivated by the sights and sounds of the indoor wild West. The hours galloped, and before the first bull rider exploded out of a chute, Benjamin lay wrapped snugly on his mother's lap, nearly asleep. They say the most dangerous eight seconds in the world of sport are the eight seconds a bull rider sits on his bull. They never say that the second most dangerous are the seconds immediately after the bull tosses that rider. A colossal bull - black, white faced - tossed its rider as easily as a horse shucks a fly, then reared its way over to us. I don't remember whether it was the hoofs or the horns, or merely its mass, but two thousand pounds of bull hit that �" thick Plexiglas and smashed it into a zillion honeycomb-shaped pieces. The explosion shot glass about five rows up. But the bulk of it rained over us, some in shards, some in large chunks that thumped our heads like icicles. His parents, as one, hunched over Benjamin. The Preacher and I sat, paralyzed. The bull leaped back into the arena, then wheeled around and made another charge. 'It's coming over the boards,' I realized, but just as quickly the bull fighters and horseback riders distracted the beast. The clown popped over, hoisted himself onto the top of the boards. "Uh, I suggest you people move up a little higher." Which we did, as soon as we picked off the biggest glass chunks. The slivers had to wait till we got home, where we found them everywhere, down to our underwear. Astoundingly, Benjamin wasn't hurt. He didn't even seem frightened. That's what comes, I suppose, from preferred seating - resting securely on the lap of one who loves you, parent or God. I called my parents, two provinces over, the next day. Mom said she'd been praying for us the evening before. She had no idea why. I told her about the rodeo, and the five guardian angels who, unseen, accompanied us. Oh�the rodeo organizers gave us free tickets for the next night's show - higher up in the stands. It wasn't nearly as exciting. No bull. Respond Home |
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