Red Chuck

Odee

We have a funny family expression around here. I say expression. Really it's a word.

Odee.

It's an abbreviation of "O dear." It's diminutive. It's spoken softly. It signifies a small defeat. You're in trouble.

Odee.

Really the word belongs to Peter Sellers. It sounds like an Inspector Clouseau whimper. You know the scene where's he's swinging on the parallel bars. He starts singing, "I'm the pavlaver of the parallel bars. . . ' He swings higher.

And higher.

And HIGHER.

Then he dismounts.

Down a staircase.

That small sound he makes as he hangs there momentarily in the air, that whimper that escapes from his mouth just before he crashes and screams, that tiny, involuntary syllable of fear - you might say it's an audible gulp. Or you might say

Odee.

So more than "trouble," it signifies the realization of trouble. Kind of like "uh oh," but less abdominal. It squeaks more than it bellows. It's meek and, around our house, it has inherited a small world of uses.

Last night Harrison snuck downstairs after bedtime. I caught him in the pantry reaching for the Fruit Loops. "HarRISON!" I said, in a stern fatherly voice.

In response came,

Odee.

Two days ago, out of the blue, Helen threw a stuffed animal at Lucky. "Helen, why did you just throw Bunny-Bun at Lucky? HeLLenNN," again, stern and fatherly, this time really reving up the Nnns.

Her answer?

Odee.

I haven't posted anything to Red Chuck this week and there have been so many things to reveal. Harrison made honor role at school. Helen tried a carrot. Katherine lined up an interview with Kaye Gibbbons. I finished Cormac McCarthy's latest novel. That mini-stereo-amp came in the mail and it's awesome. What else did I forget to say? Oh yeah,

Odee.

Posted by Red Chuck at November 18, 2005 01:00 PM