xxix

THANK HEAVENS.  You all helped me out a lot with the questions you’ve left for me.  I’ll combine my mother’s and Barb’s tomorrow, and today I’ll answer Mr./Mrs. Anonymous’ question about the funniest thing that ever happened to me.

The problem with answering this question is that typically, “funny” is a relative and situational state of being, and as such doesn’t translate very well to re-telling.  But one story immediately came to mind and every time Timon and I remember it, we laugh our heads off – but at the time, the only laughter to come from us was of mortifying embarrassment. 

About a week before we got married, we were sitting around my parents’ dining room table with a few guests after dinner.  We don’t recall why it came up, but the subject turned to uvulas, that dangling teardrop-shaped part of your throat.  Timon chose to speak up, but he misspoke and said vulva instead of uvula.  One might imagine how hilarious the assembled family found this remark, but poor Timon was so embarrassed that he was practically choking on his own uvula.  I have a large (and some might say intimidating) family to get to know.  This wasn’t an auspicious moment for my soon-to-be husband.

One more reason I love Timon so much is that he has not only survived the initial years as a member of my extended family, but I can honestly say he holds more than his own with them.  Our generation of married descendants of Dorothy and Carmine seem to have chosen fairly well.