Often we'll take turns acting like our feelings hurt and pretend to pout. All for a laugh. Lots of times Bug will say 'I'm going to my room.' and wheel off in a dramatic huff. I hear him chuckling to himself when he gets to his destination. Or if he wants to be really dramatic he'll say 'I'm leaving!',open the door and take off outside, socked feet, no jacket, gone.... for a few seconds; long enough for the door to close on its self.
Sometimes he'll tell the toys on a shelf in his bedroom to 'Attack!'. He's commanding them to attack me as I probably pulled some joke on him.
We often feign dramatics at the most mundane thing. Bug will say he has to go to the bathroom and I'll reply with a huge sigh, 'Again!'.
This joking got us in an awkward situation once.
Bug and I were on Commercial Drive waiting for a couple friends to come out of Sweet Cherubim. Bug and I were on the other side of street and I got to joking with him. I may have been rubbing his ear and giving it a gentle pinch, which I do regularly. Bug was squirming in his wheelchair and may have said 'Stop it' or something like that. He was visibly trying to move his ear away from my fingers.
Right away this guy came up to us. He was scruffy looking, big in stature and with a big presence. He lumbered right up to Bug, 'Are you OK?'
I said, 'We're fine...'
This guy cut me off and said, 'I'm talking to him.' He bent over and asked Bug if everything was alright. If I was harassing him.
Bug was startled and caught off guard which makes it difficult to speak right away. He nodded his head and I think he was able to say ,'Yeah.'
The guy wanted to make sure and reiterated his question.
When the guy straightened upright he eyed me. Making sure I didn't have some power/control over Bug.
I told the guy that we often joke around.
The guy gave Bug another look and feeling sufficiently convinced he went on his way.
Bug and I gave each other a look like, 'what in the hell was that?'
We often talk about that moment and I was really impressed that this guy took time to come over and make sure that Bug was not being assaulted or abused in some way.
Bug likes it that we joke. He is most uncomfortable with people when they are all tight and polite with him. He likes it when people feel confident and know him enough to say silly or even rude things to him. He loves it.
He often laments that all his care-givers joke with him. He pretends like this is some travesty, but deep down he loves that we, the care-givers, past and present, respect him as a person and can see his intelligence.
Bug has a wickedly, dry sense of humour and some people are pleasantly caught off guard when he feels comfortable enough to show them his wit.
Bug makes laugh!
Until the next time...
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