We HAD a trampoline. Notice the past tense...for one whole wonderfully giggle-inducing hour we had a trampoline.
Somehow our son made a deal with "Pond Papa" (my dad) that the pieces of trampoline un-used for the last six years (taken down for our wedding, actually, and then forgotten in the depths of the spiderwebby, ramshackly-piled barn at my parents' place) should be resurrected in our yard. Dad uncovered all necessary parts, dumped them in the backyard, and thus began the set-up process; Jeff and my dad lovingly and painstakingly counted spring holes, allocated and re-allocated somewhat rusty four-inch long springs into mat hooks, and with great pride eventually announced the ready-ness of the trampoline. Only a couple of spring holds were missing. Immediately both kids, lifted on, bounced contentedly (though somewhat bone-jarringly - chiropractic issues came to mind).
Dumping buckets of water from the kiddie pool on to the mucky top I threw on some rags and the kids and I scrubbed and slid and bobbed about. Jeff decided that the safety and occupation of the trampoline meant lawn cutting time and so he zipped about on the riding mower as we chuckled and tickled and sang and held hands. "When are you going to start doing back flips?" joked my neighbour.
There's only so much movement a 2 and 4 year old can handle so secretly I was awaiting their bedtime when Jeff and I could have bounce wars, like we did before we were married, and like my siblings and I used to have (try to get the other person "down" without physically touching them). Gavin stepped close to one of the missing spring holds and generated a slight (half-foot?) rip that immediately caused him great grief - he shrieked, filled with this horrid, possessive angst surrounding the possibility of a broken new toy. "It's okay," I reassured him, "it's just a teeny rip - it should be fine." (Famous last words?)
Then, well then, the happiness of it all was abruptly cut short (no loss of limbs, and no blood, so read on)...as Jeff rounded one side of the trampoline I decided to lift the ladder we had used a step stool up so he could continue his cut right close to the trampoline edge. As I lifted the ladder and shifted towards the other side to set it in a new position, half of the trampoline gave way - springs were launched as far as half way across our yard and I plummeted to the ground, scraping only my arm in the descent.
"ARE YOU OKAY???" the neighbour, with a look of terror, bellowed from her porch. The kids were wailing - high-pitched outbursts (not apparently due to my fall but because their new exercise regime had been cut short)...
We HAD a trampoline...for one whole wonderfully giggle-inducing hour we had a trampoline...
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