You did what?

You did what?

Summertime was a time for staying out late with friends and just having a good time. The sun went down after 8:00 pm, and then as the darkness overcame the light, the fun would begin. Usually.

It had been a hot day in July, and the weather was clear. As the sun drifted over the horizon, I got a call from my friend Ronald, who suggested I come over to his house to play together in his backyard. 

I didn’t hesitate and said yes. 

Did you ever get that look from someone that clearly sends a message that they don’t approve of what you are about to do?

When my mother heard that I was going to Ronald’s house, she gave me that look. You know, the one that warns you to be careful about your actions. Trust was an issue with my mom when Ronald was involved.

I chose not to react to her stare and went over to Ronald’s anyway. 

When I got there, it was close to dark, and we decided to go out and catch some fireflies in jars. 

Just off his back porch, you could see lots of fireflies. As we stepped off of the porch, we opened our jars and began to catch fireflies. We’d open the lid of our jars slightly, and when we got close to a firefly, we would drive it into the jar with the lid and then close it and let the firefly acclimate itself to the jar before we attempted to add to the collection. 

This didn’t last long before Ronald noticed a wasps’ nest just hanging off one of the eaves of his back porch. 

We decided it would be fun to try and catch a wasp in the same jar. Actually, Ronald decided that it would be a good idea. “It’s night. They’re probably all asleep or too sleepy to react. What could possibly go wrong?”

Did you ever have that little voice inside your head tell you that something you were about to do was the stupidest thing you ever heard of, and yet you did it anyway? Big mistake!

Ronald’s idea was that I take a broomstick and jostle the wasp’s nest so that one would come out slowly to explore. He would then capture the wasp in his jar, and we would have a wasp in the same jar as the fireflies. “It would be so cool to watch what happens,” he said.

Did you ever wonder why the person who said they would do something with you was standing about 12 feet away from you? 

Ronald positioned himself off of the porch while I was underneath the eave with a broomstick. 

All happened exactly as planned…NOT! 

When I jostled the nest, it wasn’t one wasp that came out, but at least 3. And trust me, they were not sleepy. They must have been bored with being in the nest and looking for some hot night action, which I conveniently provided for them. It turns out that active wasps enjoy target practice when they are bored and given the opportunity. In this case, I happened to be the target. 

I managed to get away with only one sting. It could have been a lot worse. Ronald’s mom put some ice on the sting site and sent me home. I don’t think we actually told his mom what exactly had happened.

However, when I got home, my mother was waiting at the door of our apartment.  

Did you ever get a look from your mom that said she knew exactly what you had done wrong after she told you not to do it?

It didn’t help that I was holding an icebag to my arm. “It was an accident,” I said. 

Her reply was, “Isn’t it always with Ronald? When will you ever learn?”

Based on my record, I’m guessing it will be a very long time.