The Pumpkin Patch: A Story of betrayal, redemption, and the special bond between a boy and his dad

This is a story about Lewis' first trip to the pumpkin patch and the special bond that was created between The Boy and The Dad.

But first, a disclaimer: This story as told by The Dad might differ slightly from this story as told by The Mom. Fortunately for The Dad, he's the one who knows how to build a web page.

The Boy was exactly one year and two months old when The Mom and The Dad (collectively, The Parents) determined that it was time for him to experience a pumpkin patch. The Mom had wanted to do this a year earlier but, at two months, The Boy showed little interest. At fourteen months, this was no longer the case. The Boy showed interest in everything.

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon when The Parents and The Boy headed off to The Central Oregon Pumpkin Company to pick out a pumpkin.

Everything was perfect until The Mom did something thoughtless. She set The Boy down on a dried up prickly pumpkin vine. Even though The Boy was wearing thick corduroy, he found this very upsetting. He wanted nothing more to do with The Mom.

Fortunately, The Dad was on hand to explain to The Boy that there was nothing to fear. A pumpkin was nothing more than a large melon; a subspecies of the genus Cucurbita pepo. It was round and smooth to the touch. Best of all, it was The Boy's favorite color, orange.

The Boy believed what The Dad told him because it was not The Dad who set him down on the dried up prickly pumpkin vine. The Dad was The Boy's favorite parent now. Pretty soon The Boy was checking out one of the smooth round orange pumpkins for himself.

The Boy discovered pumpkins weren't so bad. He could lean on them and use them to keep his balance. When he pushed on them, they moved a little. Pumpkins even reminded The Boy of The Parents: They both made noise when he beat on them.

The Boy loved pumpkins!

The Dad picked out several pumpkins before finding one to The Boy's liking. This one would do just fine.

The Mom still felt bad about her thoughtless act -- but The Boy forgave her...

...after biting her on the nose! The End