i was probably 5. my parents were so cool because they bought the newest Michael Jackson tape, Thriller. we were all packed like sardines in the station wagon, all 6 kids, going Godknowswhere. didn't matter because we had the new Michael Jackson tape and we were going to listen to it in the car the whole way there and back.
after the 212th time of "it's close to midnight...something evil's lurking from the dark..." the parents were ready for a break. they hushed our protests as they ejected the tape from the car's cassette player. we must have been some really whiney you-know-whats. the way the parents tell it, we wouldn't stop begging to hear more Michael Jackson. of course it wasn't me, it was probably the boys.
finally my mom, at her wits end, turned around in her front seat to face us in the back, pointed her long, pointy finger at us, and threatened, "If I hear one more peep out of any of you, this Michael Jackson tape is going out the window."
that shut us up.
our oldest sister, stefani, thought it would be funny to test mom's sense of humor. stefani giggled and then whispered a loud, "PEEP"
mom didn't even hesitate. she grabbed the tape, rolled down her window (manually), and flung the tape out onto the highway. the car kept going. our eyes and mouths were wide as saucers. that really shut us up. we couldn't believe it. i think our youngest brother started crying.
even dad couldn't believe it, it was HIS tape! but he backed mom's disciplinary actions no matter what.*
i don't remember where we went that day. none of us do. but we all remember the Michael Jackson tape incident. and we all still blame stef to this day.
my sister sally (in New York) and i are remembering the King of Pop today via text messages.
*possibly the #1 secret to successful step-families!
