Jesse Stories

Jesse sometimes does some volunteer work for the Duncan Little Theater. She does set painting and background work. Her normal fee is free tickets to the play that she works on. Recently she has been working on the set of "Cheaper by the Dozen". This week she brought home a large piece of cardboard (3’x5’) to paint a backyard scene for the play. She started the scene, but as sometimes happens, Jesse bites off more than she can chew. Today she is at a softball tournament. Later this evening she is supposed to be at a birthday party/cookout/volleyball game. Next weekend she is going to Wichita on Friday night to watch her cousin play football. Then on Saturday, she and Lindsay have tickets to the OSU vs. Baylor football game in Stillwater. It is a good thing she likes her job, because work certainly takes up a lot of her time. He nickname should be Wheel. So, I have been painting on her scene, which is no problem. I will do some of the scene, kind of get her going, and she can finish it. Since Jesse left me home to do the work, I thought it a good time for some Jesse stories.

Jesse has always been one to say whatever came into her head often shocking people around her or at least keeping everyone entertained. When she was four, she liked to hang out at the beauty shop in Red River with my mom. One day, an older lady named Hank Mutz was getting her hair done. Hank is a gruff, pioneer type woman who can say some rather shocking things herself. Hank was talking in her usual loud gruff voice when Jesse walked up to her and said, "Do you eat little kids for breakfast?" Everyone held their breath (Hank is not known for liking little kids), but Hank burst out laughing. Jesse was one of her favorites after that. Jesse asked another older lady if she liked purple hair. The lady said, "No; why do you ask?" Jesse answered, "Cause that is what you got."

When Jesse was five, she was in a friend of mine’s wedding. As the bride, her father, and all of the bridesmaids stood waiting for the signal to walk down the aisle, Jesse looked up and said, "Kristine why are you marrying Deke?" Kristine said, "Because I love him, Jesse." Jesse said, "But you already live with him." Kristine said, "Shut up, Jesse." Kristine still reminds me of that day, but now she laughs.

When Jesse was eight we were at the mall in Santa Fe with the youth minister’s wife, Wendy. Wendy was young and beautiful and newly married – no kids. Jesse had been begging me all day to buy her some white, lacy, go-to-church type gloves. I finally gave in and bought her the gloves. A few minutes later, I looked over and Wendy was laughing so hard that I had to ask what had happened. Jesse was sitting next to Wendy wearing her new gloves and holding her hands out like a mime admiring her new gloves. Wendy said, "She just put those gloves on and said, ‘Now I can steal something.’" Another time while we were shopping with Wendy at Wal-Mart, I let Jesse go off with Wendy. Soon there was a crowd and a commotion in the middle of the store. It seems that Jesse had climbed up on a treadmill to check it out. When she turned the treadmill on, someone had left it on high speed. It flipped Jesse, but she hung on, being dragged by the treadmill and yelling for Wendy. Wendy was laughing so hard she couldn’t figure out how to turn the treadmill off. They drew a rather large crowd.

On Jesse’s 18th birthday, Bo was turning 21. Their birthdays are three years and one week apart. We had lots of family and friends over for a double birthday party. Jesse said, "Hey Bo, lets go to the convenience store. You can buy beer and I can buy cigarettes." I think my family knew she was just teasing.

The other night at dinner we were discussing upcoming plans. I told her that she had to stay home with the dog on the weekend of the 17th because I was going to The City with her father. She said, "That will be fine with me; I’ve been needing a poker night with the girls." I said, "But none of you know how to play poker well enough to have a poker night." Jesse then said, "You know, I really don’t even like poker. Maybe we will just smoke."

I try not to let her get a rise out of me. She has been saying outrageous things all of her life. It certainly makes for excitement.