The parachute

My dad would bring things home once in awhile to keep me busy. Once it was an old army helmet. This time it was a parachute. It was about 1953 and I was ten. The chute to me was really big. It had the shroud lines on it and they ended with a metal ring. Dad said something about making a tent with it. I thought to myself, tent? Ha, I just joined the Screaming Eagles, the 101st airborne.
I thought for a real long time, maybe ten minutes, about how I could tie this chute to me and float down to the ground. It didn't take long for me to tie the metal ring to the back of my pants and climb up on my neighbours garage roof. It was one story, kind of flat and ended on a gravel driveway.
I figured that if I folded the parachute just right and tossed it into the air as I left the roof, it would fluff out, catch the air and I would slowly drift to the ground. What great thoughts I have when planning an adventure. As I was taking off running across the roof I looked up at the bedroom window of my house, (second story window) I saw my big sister with both hands on the glass, screaming something. I also heard my neighbour, Mr. Olson screaming something about his garage roof, and what do I think I'm doing running across it.
I ran out of roof and I tossed the parachute into the air. I landed on the parachute. It actually beat me to the ground. My first thoughts weren't (I wonder what I may have broke) my first thoughts were, I need a higher roof. The chute didn't have time to fluff up and slowly bring me down.
Mr. Olson had a little talk to me about his roof. I tryed to explain that I used his garage because I didn't have a garage and my house was two story and too peaky to run across. My big sister was downstairs by now taking charge of her little brother and whisking me away from the wrath of Mr. Olson. I heard something about He and my dad checking the roof for any damage. My sister was trying to retire from being the supreme leader, (Shena) but I keep pulling her back into a leadership mode.
When dad got home from work he was met by Mr. Olson, and Shena. I didn't listen to what was talked about, I was only ten remember. I know my dad and Mr. Olson checked his garage roof, and dad checked to see if I had hurt myself. Shena had taken my official 101st airborne parachute and put it somewhere.
I went to sleep that night thinking about who has a roof that is two story and flat enough to run across. Meanwhile my dad is in my moms sewing room cutting the shroud lines off my parachute. My sister is still looking at me like I'm some kind of nut. My dad is also asking my mom something about the possibility of a next generation of Grewe's, and will Ken make it to his teen years.
My official 101st airborne parachute was turned into a tent, Shena didn't have a chance to retire with me around, and Dottie survived me, somehow. I found out later in life that the parachute dad brought home was actually the little chute that pulled the main chute out and assisted in deployment. "Who would have thought?" I just needed the main chute!