Anybody Get That on Film?

This is going to stretch your mind a little.

Reuben is exactly the same age as both his son-in-law and his father-in-law.

I can hear the wheels turning in your head: How is that possible? Wait, let me think about it a second….

(I’m going to explain it in the next paragraph, in case you’re a puzzle lover and want to figure it out first.)

Here’s how. Reuben’s daughter from his first wife married an older man, the same age as Reuben. Reuben’s second wife is a younger woman whose father is also the same age as Reuben.

That’s definitely one for Guinness.

Reuben retired from college teaching but didn’t like being retired. He bought a fast food franchise so he could get up at 4:00 every morning and bake muffins for his customers. He loves waking them up with coffee, chatting them up, and seeing their smiles as they chow down on fresh muffins.

Reuben and his wife were on one of our group trips to China. One night on the tour we learned that Reuben was 80 years old. Nobody could believe it. I would have guessed him at about 65 or even 60.

The next morning breakfast was served in the hotel lobby at some tables set up around reflecting pools. Reuben was a bit late and some of us were wondering where he was, when he and his big grin came striding across the lobby.

Some of the tables were placed close to the reflecting pools, and as Reuben crossed the corner of one pool, he missed his step. As we watched in horror, he fell backward like a big tall tree, hit the water spread-eagled in a reverse belly-flop, and made an enormous, raucous splash in the middle of the lobby.

In memory it seems like slow motion. We watched him teeter backwards, unable to right himself, and we all had the realization in the same split second that this 80 year old man was falling backwards into a shallow pool and there was nothing we could do about it! He’s older than we thought! Is this going to be a tragedy? What’s in the pool? Will he hit his head?

A second later, as we were scrambling out of our chairs, Reuben popped up in the knee-deep water, dripping wet. He gave us that big grin and said, “Anybody get that on film?”

Talk about comic relief. The Russian judge gave him a 9.0. Except for missing breakfast to change clothes, he was fine.

When I grow up I wanna be like Reuben.

© 2008 Greg Tamblyn, Motivational humorist and occasionally nervous tour guide

* Photos of one of our tours to China and Tibet.