“Gladiator,” Sandals, and a Birthday Request: A Hilarious Call from My Daughter
My daughter recently gave me one of those phone calls that starts out normal but ends with me laughing out loud.
She kicked things off by saying, “You know that Gladiator movie I got you?”
Curious, I replied, “Yeah.”
Then came her very specific instruction:
“Wind it forward to one hour, 16 minutes, and 28 seconds.”
I followed her directions and said, “Right, I’ve done that.”
She sounded thrilled: “Okay, you see the gladiator at the front fighting the lion?”
I nodded (even though she couldn’t see me): “I can see that, yeah.”
But she wasn’t done.
“Just behind him, there are two gladiators having a sword fight with each other!”
I leaned in, squinting at the screen: “Okay, I see them.”
And then came the punchline:
“Well, behind those two, on the left-hand side of the screen, there’s a woman gladiator holding a spear.”
I was impressed by her observation, so I smiled and said, “Yes! I can see her.”
Then came the real reason for the call — her birthday wish.
“Right! Those are the sandals I want for my birthday.”
Only my daughter could find fashion inspiration in the middle of a gladiator battle.
She never fails to make me laugh — and it’s in moments like these that I’m reminded how much joy being a parent truly brings.