Fall, 1998. Marsure, Italy.
Diana and I had just returned from dinner and a movie. We had left the kids (Gabe 15, Lee 12, Hannah 10, and Zoe 6) at home. We walked in through the front door into a quiet house around 11:30 pm. The kids were obviously asleep. To our left, on the living room couches, Gabe, Lee, and Hannah were crashed out, sound asleep. And to our right, much to our surprise, was tiny Zoe, asleep as well, suspended 3 feet off the floor, literally duct taped to the kitchen door!! Her little head was cocked to the side, little arms spread eagle. She reminded me of a little scarecrow. Diana freaked out and tearfully began extracting her little girl from her duct-taped perch on the door.
The inquisition began immediately. As we soon learned, the kids had the grand idea to play a little joke on their parents. They thought we were going to just dinner, not dinner AND a movie. They anticipated we would be home by 9:30. So around 9:10 they got a full roll of duct tape and used the entire roll to tape and suspend their little sister to the kitchen door. Having finished, the older kids retreated to the couches to feign sleep in great anticipation of their parents’ reactions. Little Zoe feigned sleep as well. She was 100% complicit.
Soon, feigned sleep transitioned to real sleep for the four pranksters. And two hours later, we arrived home.
I thought it was innovative, original, and hugely funny. Diana . . . not so much.
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