April 4, 2012

Alright here we go!

Last night I had dinner with the Crumps.  It was of course Wednesday!  Momma, Pappa, my hubby and baby Crump.  I came home from work, and it was right back out the door for a 6:30 dinner at Pappas Seafood.  Love that seafood! To start things off right we were 20 minutes late meeting his parents, who thankfully didn’t seem to mind since some lady who apparently knew me, but whom I was clueless about recognizing, was sitting at our table chatting it up when we arrived.  She went on and on for several minutes about how cute our baby was, and how our recent wedding was a smash (all the while, we were standing).  I thanked this mysterious women and she eventually allowed us to sit down, at our table, in our chairs…hmf!  The waiter was prompt and before long we were slurping down drinks and chomping on oysters on the ½ shell, and boiled shrimp.  Note, that neither of which I care to put in my mouth.  This sentiment is also felt by father Crump.  So he and I just watched as momma and hubby Crump smothered them in horseradish and cocktail sauce.

Dinner started off with a bang early as my husband asked his mother about resolving a financial obligation she had previously agreed to handle for him.  She fired back that she had never said any such thing.  This of course didn’t go over well and in true Crump fashion sparked a verbal lashing from my husband to his mother.  Now in most families, children would never dream of barking back at their parents in such a manner, but these are the Crumps, and the Crumps like to vent their dislikes or frustrations so to clear the air and bring about harmony once again. Painful as it is for the bystander, or daughter-in-law, it is just how they do things. And while I’ve been exposed to this type of family dynamic for almost 3 years I still find myself squirming while it’s going on.  Or at times a good chuckle when I look over and see father Crump shaking his head in sarcastic disbelief. 

Baby Crump didn’t seem to like it either, and started to get fussy in his car seat.  So he got a pass to come out and play, and we passed him around the table to keep him entertained.  He finally landed in momma Crumps lap and that is where he sat through most of dinner. 

After the meals were done, baby was passed to his father who decided it would be fun to entertain the tables around us with a spontaneous table dance from baby Crump.  So up on the table top he went to shake his rumpus, against his will.  But when you are 5 months old you aren’t too worried about these things and so the giggles and smiles from strangers and passerby’s bring a smile to your face.  Once baby Crump came down from the table top he was propped on his dads shoulder for some relaxation.  But apparently he was a little more shaken and stirred than normal and felt it a good time to relieve his stomach pressure all down daddy’s back, chair, and the floor.  Now while the table dance was cute, the patrons who were in direct line of receiving his stomach contents were not so excited.  They quickly darted and squirmed to be sure and miss the projection.  Thankfully, they were in the clear and I took baby Crump to the lobby for some distraction to counter his boredom with the whole situation.

The evening ended with the usual, “did you valet your car son?”  And the typical response of yes, but I don’t have any cash.  OK, here’s 5 bucks.  We gave our hugs and said our goodbyes and I relaxed, relieved that no one had left dinner prematurely because of an overheated argument.

Until next time…(Sunday, Easter lunch with the Crumps and my mother, Haun)