Extortion

My neighbor came over today with a smirk on her face telling me she had something she needed to share. Her son, Grant, was at our house yesterday after school for a while playing. Owen and Grant could be brothers - one minute they are the best of friends, the next minute they are bickering like crazy. They have both realized that when they try and engage me in one of their arguments, my usual response is, "You boys will just have to work it out." (Unless of course someone did something truly wrong, but with these two it is usually pretty minor offenses).

Well, my neighbor told me that Grant came home from my house yesterday with a dollar in his pocket. He wouldn't explain to her how that dollar got there, so she got her older son to get the story from him. Turns out Owen said a "bad word" and Grant threatened to tell on him. Owen then offered Grant a dollar to keep him from telling, which Grant gladly accepted. They then went on their way playing, and I was clueless of the transaction.

I confronted the both of them today after hearing the story to see if they would come clean. I'm happy to report that they both told the truth. I asked them what the word was that Owen said and they said it was the "F" word. After further digging I discovered it was not "the" F word. It was, instead, the other word for flatulence. And that, my friends, is what warranted the extortion. After a quick lesson in why it's not okay to offer your friends money in return for their obedience, they went about their usual business. I'm still trying to stifle my laughter as I type this....