Broken Arms

Chapter 4

Recently while, playing softball I injured my elbow diving for a ball. Since then I discovered somewhere back in high school I broke my elbow, which healed without ever getting taken care of. I’m not quite sure how that happened, but it makes for a good introduction to my next story. Accidents are bound to happen when two brothers are playing, especially if one is 5 years older than the other. Actually there is a very thin line standing between playing and an accident waiting to happen with that kind of age difference.

So far as I can remember this experience is one of the most vivid from my childhood. That in itself is a feat, because I have this ability to remember lots of details about random things. Most of the details turn out to be of no importance, but they stick in my mind.

It all started out as a normal Sunday evening when I was ten and Jess was five. My Dad was sitting at the computer working on something and my sisters were watching the television. Jess and I were playing a game that most young kids enjoy playing. I would lie on my back and Jess would sit on my feet, and then I would send him flying through the air. After a while playing this game I decided it was time to take the game to the next level. My goal was to make Jess hit the ceiling. Our family room at the time did have low ceilings, but not low enough for a 50-pound kid, being propelled by his brother’s leg, to reach. Rather than hitting the ceiling Jess flew awkwardly through the air and landing on the SEGA Genesis game system. The SEGA emerged unscathed, but Jess had broken his elbow.

I remember Jess screaming and then my Dad trying to straighten his elbow. As soon as my Dad realized the elbow wouldn’t straighten out he rushed Jess out of the house and left one of my sisters in charge. The entire time my Dad was gone all I could think of was how much trouble I would be in when he got home. Of course it was an accident, but I had been punished for many of my so-called accidents before. My Mom met my Dad at the hospital, from stake choir practice, and from there they had to take Jess to Pocatello for surgery to repair his arm. The doctors ended up putting two pins in his elbow and giving him a bright green cast as a souvenir. When I came home from a day at school worrying my parents and Jess were home from the hospital. To my utter surprise I never got punished for the accident. Six weeks of looking at Jess’ cast was punishment enough. I guess my parents really believed it was an accident. Good thing they didn’t know I was trying to make him hit the ceiling.