Aaargh! That Slamming Door

Johnny came home from school Friday bubbling over with excitement about something. I don't know what. It's his first year in school and almost everything that happens is new and exciting. He bounced in the back door while I was making dinner. His father was probably moving at a more sane pace behind him somewhere.

Before even saying "Hi, Mom'. He started with "Guess what Todd did at school today?"

I was chopping tomatoes and was a little hesitant to take my eyes off my cutting in fear that I would cut my finger. "What?" I answered wishing I could see his bright and cheery face.

I turned slightly in mid chop. "He..." WHAM! The door slammed. I jerked, Johnny turned his head to look at the offending door. "Damn!" I exclaimed, half at the door, half at my bleeding index finger. I suppressed an explicative to spare Johnny the language.

Two seconds later my husband walked in the house and saw my bleeding finger. He packed me off to lounge and went in search of the first aid kit. After he got me fixed up, he offered to finish preparing dinner. Only after we ate did I remember that Johnny was about to tell me something really exciting. I'll never know what. He was big eyed with fear that he'd caused me to cut my finger and didn't want to talk.

I wish we had a SoftSlam BEFORE, instead of after.