Another One Bites The Dust

There hasn't been anything silly said or done recently. Sometimes life just isn't funny.

I've been known for finding humor even in the most inappropriate situations. But lately I've got nothin'.

So I'll regale you with an oldie but goodie story.

About 8 years ago my dear aunt's father passed away. I was never close to him personally but I attended the funeral to support my aunt as well as my cousin, who's more like a sister. As we walked out to our cars after the service, the heaviness and sadness of the day started to take a toll on my cousin. By the time we reached our respective car doors my cousin was borderline hysterical, sobbing and cough crying. I couldn't understand much of what the poor thing was saying, so I just stood there nodding, "mhmm-ing" and "I know-ing" through her meltdown.

In the distance you could hear an ambulance.

Barely audible at first but as the sound of the wailing sirens increased so too did the wailing of my cousin. Soon she was drowned out by the deafening sound of the approaching ambulance. We both stared in silence as the ominous and foreboding presence of the ambulance screamed past us. Now silenced we just stared at each other. I don't know what came over me but this is what I said and did next...

Head bobbing back and forth, I sang out "Mm mm mm. Another one bites the dust."

With her face red and eyes swollen my cousin's mouth dropped open. In shock. In horror. I'm not too sure.

The crying and hurt and sadness that filled the parking lot seconds before turned into inappropriate cackling. We fucking died laughing. We were now crying from laughing too hard. All of it was just so surreal; death of a family member, the ambulance flying down the street toward someone's fate, and then me - singing Queen. It was so terribly inappropriate and awful of me but so damn fitting. And funny. It brought my cousin out of a deep well of sadness and that's all that mattered to me. Offensive or not, it worked.

We still laugh about it to this day.

Sometimes life just isn't funny. But you can die trying to make it funny.