Funny

“Bean free”!!, sung to the top of my voice to the tune of “Born free”. Preparing dinner, the wife had just advised we are out of beans. Straight away, the full gusto rendition startled it’s way out of the lungs and vocal chords. Unintentional spontaneity it was. She laughed her hearty laugh. Others nearby – the kids, looking at me and her with that expression – “what’s so funny”? To them and probably everyone else this two word absurdity meant nothing and to even laugh about it had them shaking their heads and walking away.

We laughed even more at their response. Funny for some, but for others it can be a painful head shaking experience. Mind does cast back to almost six years ago and our first meeting in a coffee shop. Once the introduction niceties were over and had recovered from the shock of chatting happily to the mother of seven children, a measure of stupidity settled in and over the all too short couple of hours, much smiling interspersed with laughter was had. We bounced off each others idiocy as if we had been doing this for years.

Now we are six years later and it has not stopped. Up in the morning, make the coffees and before they are complete something has been stated that gets the smiles and laughter going. Before 15 minutes are up, the mouth has curled into a grin probably twenty times. An outsider looking in may well be quite dismayed at what sets off the laughter. It could be a look as Shakirah does have the face of a thousand expressions. It could be the tallying up of the injury and aches morning report in which she is well ahead at the moment. Let us see – Shakirah: Right shoulder, right wrist, right thumb and left elbow but the worn out running knees are feeling good! Me: ongoing landscapers (tennis) right elbow and slight sprain to right ankle. For some obscure reason the long term right shoulder issue has ended up in the background, left glute reminding me that some old injuries never quite went away. It may just be the way we go from sitting to standing, the involuntary grunt as the arm stretches and hand lifts the coffee cup, but it is enough for a bit of fun to ensue. We laugh at each others pain, looking sharply when one refers to the other as old man or old woman. Opportunity for mock anger it is. But is it really mock? Hmm, even that brings a grin, or is that grimace?

Fun we have. A stupid voice impersonation – she is really very good, my thousands of Dad style bad puns saved up just for her. I do laugh at the impersonations, she does laugh the bad puns. As a tag team we are enormously funny, even though the three others still at home,doomed to hear the words of the parents usually retreat, heads shaking and groaning to their bedrooms with doors closed way to firmly. They suggest later that we are terrorising them. We agree and that sets off more laughter among the Comedy duo. “Just stop”, they scream in unison. Of course that is the opportunity for more.

We win! But the desired result of them moving out from home has not been achieved yet. The Tag team must plot more funny until we are successful. Who will win? We will as the younger generation are no match for our many more years of finding funny from nothing. Will we run out of material? I doubt it as we can just revert back to old material that worked then to elicit groans and bedroom exiting. To repeat will work – it will elicit – “no, not that again”! Sshhh! Don’t tell them of our cunning funning plan.

Meanwhile, early in the morning over the cup of coffee and the fun starts again. A happy couple we are doing humour that we know is the best of funny, even if the rest of the World (household) feels like throwing up every time we open our mouths. In serious love we surely are now and forever will be. The number one fans of the ‘Funny’ couple? Shakirah and I of course. Are we the only fans? Most likely.