SCAR STORIES

We were in the middle of eating dinner when my son Alex asked, “Can you please pass the mashed potatoes?”

The bowl was sitting next to me so I picked it up and handed it to him. While my arm was outstretched my husband Steven looked over at me with a concerned look on his face.

“When did you get that?” He was pointing to the inner part of my upper arm.

I looked down at the raised red welt. “Oh, I was taking a cookie sheet out of the oven and I accidentally hit my arm.”

Alex looked concerned. “Does it hurt?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “A little.”

“Did you put anything on it?” Steven asked.

“I will after dinner.” I shrugged my shoulders again. “If I remember.” I looked at my forearm and pointed to several fading burn marks. “I usually like to burn myself here.” I looked back at the raised burn on the upper arm. “I guess I found a new spot.” I laughed.

“You better remember to put something on it or you’re going to scar.” Alex warned me as he took a spoonful of mashed potatoes and put it on his plate before handing me back the bowl.

“Hey, scars tell stories.” I placed the bowl back in its original spot.

Alex pointed to the quarter sized raised scar on his wrist. “This one says I fell off my skateboard and got a nasty road rash.”

I looked at it and winced. “That had to hurt.”

Alex nodded. “It did.” He took a forkful of mashed potatoes and the last piece of meatloaf on his plate to eat them together.

“Remember what you told me about the scar on your rib cage?” I asked Steven.

Steven laughed. “It’s not really a scar it’s a birth mark.”

I turned to look at Alex and pointed my finger to my right side. “It’s right here and about the size of a nickle.” I looked back at Steven. “We were still dating when I saw it and I asked you how you got it…”

Steven laughed again. “I told her it was from a gun shot.”

Alex started to laugh.

“Seriously!” I cried. “I believed him!” I was shaking my head. “It scared me so much that I was thinking about ending the relationship right then and there.”

“Really?” Alex said.

“I certainly didn’t want to date someone who’d been in a gun fight!”

Steven stabbed a green bean with his fork. “When I saw the look on her face I had to let her know it was only a birth mark.”

I looked at Alex and raised my eyebrows. “So, if I’d believed the gun shot story you wouldn’t be here.”

Alex looked at Steven. “So it really is a birth mark?”

“Hey, she married me didn’t she? So that’s the story I’m sticking to.” He took the green bean off his fork and popped it in his mouth before getting up to clear his plate.

“Wait…” I wasn’t sure I’d heard him correctly. “What did you just say?”

“Anyone want to play Backgammon?” Steven called over his shoulder.

Alex got up to clear his plate and started to laugh when he saw the shocked look on my face. “His stories still get you every time.”