My nemesis was introduced to me on a Thursday. It was a Thursday that was going to be like many other Thursdays throughout the summer. It was the day of the giant, pink, castle bouncy house. That first Thursday seemed innocent enough. The kids were looking forward to jumping, that big pink castle was making my job a little easier, and the weather was sunny and clear. I had no idea that several weeks later, the bouncy castle would turn on me.
(This is a similar picture of the pink bouncy house used at our preschool, not my actual nemesis.)
So there I was, on the last jumper Thursday of the summer, watching as seven of my students were frolicking, and bouncing happily inside the depths of the castle. I decided that since it was the last jumper of the year, and since there were only seven kids inside the jumper that I would join them. The kids thought it was hilarious… their grown teacher jumping around like a kid (you see, normally there are too many kids for me to keep my eye on all of them and jump at the same time). We were laughing, they were screaming happily, we didn’t have a care in the world. Until suddenly, the ground gave way under my feet, and I was on my knees. The happy screams of the children turned to screams of terror. The walls and roof of the bouncy house came down around us, and all I could see was pink and mesh.
Don’t worry, I kept my wits about me, I stood up and I held up the ceiling of the jumper. I gathered all of the students out of the pink tangle of vinyl, found the door, and helped them get safely outside. By this time, a coworker of mine was outside to stand with the kids until I could wiggle my butt through the door. When I looked at the group of kids standing there, I expected to see tears and fear. Instead they were looking at me with big smiles on their faces. One of the kids said to me, “That was cool!” Another kid said, “Why did you do that Mrs. Karen?” Another one said, “Will you do that again?” Who knew that a bouncy house collapsing around us would only make it that much more fun?
So at this point, the kids are out safely, and it is time to assess the damage to the pink castle. It turns out that my huge ass had nothing to do with the castle falling down. It was because of a zipper on the side of the jumper that was not actually zipped, just velcroed. We zipped it back up, and the bouncy castle was reinflated in a matter of minutes. Even after we showed the kids what had happened, they are all still convinced that I did it on purpose, and they want me to do it again. I wonder how many calls I’m going to get from parents?
As I gathered up another group of kids for the jumper, and I gathered up my pride, I could almost feel the bouncy castle laughing at me. I don’t know why it waited until I was in there to deflate, but it probably has something to do with jealousy. You see, I might be a chunky white girl, but I’m loved. I don’t get used for a few hours, and then packed away without a second thought until it’s time to be used again. I might feel sorry for the jumpy castle, except that it tried to take it’s revenge out on me. So instead, I now have a new nemesis. That castle better hope It’s nice to me next time, or it might find it’s self with a hole that it can’t just zip up. Don’t mess with me giant, pink bouncy castle!
