Mark Dohle
Well-Known Member
Scary times in Panama
I would imagine that in most families that have more than one child there are stories of how they liked to scare one another. Well in my family, which was large, there are certainly stories about that reality. What brings this up is that my sister ‘Sissy’ the oldest girl in the family wants me to relate how we would at times scare each other as children and as well as in our teenage years. They are funny when thought about, but when experienced….well they were ‘oh my God!!!!!!! I am going to be eaten’ scary.
It was a long time ago in the land of Panama, in the era of the ‘Canal Zone’ that we have to travel in order to relive these experiences. The first one that I can go back to because it made such an impression on me was with my oldest brother Skip. He joined the Navy not long after we arrived in Panama. This event happened I believe when he came home for a visit from the navy; his first. So most likely I was 11. One morning mom asked me to go and get Skip up so he can have breakfast with us. I did not want to, because I knew what would happen. He would scare me. How did I know, well my older brother, being a good brother, liked to scare us, or me. I was probably at that time the easiest to scare of all my brothers and sister. So I ask mom if someone else could get Skip, she said no, I was the only one there at the time. The rest were still getting ready for school. Being an early riser had its disadvantages I was finding out.
So I went into the bedroom very slowly. I could not find my brother, so I thought gaddammbullfont! I knew what was coming! So I looked under the bed….nothing….then I went to the bathroom next to the bedroom, nothing! So I took a manly deep breath, and squared my shoulders….I knew there was only one place to look….the closet!!!! Meanwhile, my mom yelled into the room, “Will you please hurry up”! So I saw the closet, the door was open just a tad, a very small ‘tad’ and I knew that my bother, who was an adult, he was 19 was waiting for me, his tiny, little, helpless, skinny, timorous brother, to open up the door. So I whispered in a tiny voice “Skip?” So I went forward and was about to open the door when suddenly the door flew open and my brother, my tall brother came roaring out with his arms up like he was going to grab me and eat me up. I just stood there….lucky I did not pee in my pants. I then turned around and walked out into the dining area both in alternating waves of crying and laughing, and shaking, and probably white as a sheet. I was already white enough, but then I probably looked like I was dead. My mom looked at me and said: “are you alright”? I just laughed and cried and sat down. My brother skip came out and acted as if nothing had happened. I did not eat any breakfast that morning. That is what brothers do to each other.
As well as what brothers do to little sisters.
Sissy was very easy to scare and I loved it. She used to babysit like the boys did. When she started to do the babysitting, for the most part, Robert and I stopped, except for some rare occasion. I always knew where she baby-sat so I would keep an eye out for the carport to see when the parents were coming home. When the time was right, I would find some place to hide and wait for my poor sister to walk by. In Gulick Heights, there were no street lights so it was easy to find a hiding place. Sissy would leave the house, look around, she knew I was there and start home. She would call out in a nervous voice: “Mark, I know your there, show yourself”! I would snicker to myself, “Oh I will Sis, I will”. I would wait just for the right moment and then come out growling, dragging one foot and slowly came after her…..she would scream and I mean really scream and take off. I would just stand there and laugh. Yeah, brothers can be mean. Now when in the house I would do the same thing. Put my glasses sideways and act like “Igor’ and go after them, slowly, dragging my feet and roaming through the house. When done that way, I guess it was scary but fun at the same time……not so when done in the dark, on the street in Gulick Heights.
I did get payback one night, though at that time I was 22 and the sister I tried to scare was 18. It was at Fr. Davis and I was making a visit home. I just got discharged from the Navy. Yes, it was an honorable discharge if anyone is asking. Judy was coming home from the movies I believe with Sissy and Jane. So I thought this would be perfect. Three scares in one! They were walking past the Fr. Davis golf course and I hid behind some bushes. So as they came by, their not so mature brother came out doing my “Igor” thing. Judy was even easier to scare than Sissy or Janie, though they could all really, really, scream; ear piercing actually. So I went for her, slowly approaching and then, who would believe such a thing could happen…..Judy in her fear gave me a resounding slap and I flew over a bush and rolled down a small hill. Wow! I thought as I was flying….. I landed, my glassed landed somewhere else and I was dazed. Judy was so horrified at what she did, but I thought it was funny and started to laugh…knowing that I deserved it. She would not stop apologizing, which was humorous for me, I did get what was coming to me…..karma!
One good thing for me, for the next few days I got her to make me some grilled cheese sandwiches for breakfast…then on the fourth day after she told me to make my own. Her guilt ran out and she became normal again….good things can’t last forever. My sister’s made the best-grilled cheese sandwiches (with dill pickles). They would use Velveeta cheese, lots of butter, white bread and of course smash it down until the melted cheese ran out the sides, and burned the cheese just a little. I was glad that Judy felt guilty; I got some good mileage out of her remorse. Too bad she got over it way too fast for my taste…..I was hoping for a week at least!
Today I would never scare that way, especially someone I love like my sister’s, but when young it seemed the proper thing to do. Like Skip scaring me, and me scaring my sisters, a family tradition that I am sure is being carried out at this moment in families all over the world.—Br.MD