The Good Fight

It had been a particularly stressful day, oh, almost 40 years ago.  I don't really remember much about it, since it was a lot like a lot of other days; tensions always ran pretty high in the home when I was growing up. Usually someone would be having a better day than the other and situations could get defused relatively quickly.  

This one day, though, neither of my brothers had been having a good day. They would be, oh, I guess around 20 and 16 years old.  Tensions built, tanks ran on empty (as they did most of the time anyway) and I could tell that things were deteriorating fast.  They were SO getting on each other's last nerve!! 

I don't remember what triggered it exactly, but I do remember that one brother started criticizing the other for the same old thing that annoyed the life out of him.  Maybe it was the way he chewed.  Something - there was always something.  And the other brother finally snapped; he'd been putting up with the verbal abuse all day long and he was so sick and tired of being harangued and told what to do.

So he lashed out.  Soon, they each started saying things to deliberately hurt the other.  Mom, who would never let us fight with each other, never express our anger or our frustration (thanks for the baggage, dear lady) watched the two of them stomp up the stairs to finish fighting and throw some good punches while they were at it.  

And then she made that ... sound ... the one that froze us in our tracks, the one that meant she was just about to lose her temper.  "AUUGH!!"

Both brothers halted in mid step.

"You guys fight just like cats and dogs!" she cried.

Something about the "over-the-top" way she said it just struck them in the right way.  I saw the oldest, at the top of the stairs, whirl around and drop to all fours on the four-by-four landing.  

His face contorted, his mouth opened wide, and his eyes narrowed as he glared at his brother.  He held up his right hand in a claw-like manner.  And he HISSED.

Not to be outdone, the younger brother put his hands on the stairs and started climbing them on all fours, got within five feet of his brothers face and started BOW-WOW-WOW-WOWOWOWing at the top of his voice.  

"REEEEEEE-AAAAROW"  came the high-pitched reply from the top of the stairs as oldest brother swung his "paw" at his brother's face.  

"RAGRRRRR-RO-RO-RO-RO-RO!!!" went the younger.  

"Pa-AHHHH-T!!" said the elder, and as his "claws" connected with the other's face, we heard "YIIIII!" Then "GRRRRRRROWF!!" 

By this time my mother, my father and I were laughing so hard that the tears were streaming down our faces and our bellies were sore.  

The boys had had their "good fight" and everyone forgot what the argument was about.  

After a few more "wuffs" and "rrwowfs", one boy went one way and the other the opposite way.  Neither of them lost.  And all of us won.