full circle

ever since i can remember my dad has, at times, impersonated nestor chylak. a professional baseball umpire. with a hairlip. to this day i don't know why he does it. he just does. one summer as i was helping him at his office, an umpire came into his office. it was a good thing my desk was facing the wall. the guy had a hairlip. and the minute he started to ask my dad's assistant about something i started to shake in silent laughter. not at him. just because ever since i was little my dad did this impersonation. i looked out of the corner of my eye and there was my dad. also shaking in silent laughter. which made me shake in silent laughter even harder. all i could think of was debbie, my dad's assistant, and how she was able to keep a straight face. because i know in all the years she worked with my dad she had heard the nestor chylak impersonation. at least once. year's before my mom and her friend were at an auction. the guy kept saying no yunk, no yunk, all good snuff. they couldn't figure out what the guy was talking about. finally, it dawned on them. the auctioneer had a hairlip. he was saying no junk, no junk, all good stuff. so, it didn't really surprise me when sophie started to talk. like she has a hairlip. but she really doesn't. now when she asks for a rink with her nack i know exactly what she is saying.