lavahot
09-13-2009, 09:31 AM
So as long as I can remember my dad has had a handcuff key on his keyring. I remember when I was really little and the first time I looked through my dad's keyring and found it, wondering what kind of tiny simple lock it was for. He always told me that it was there in case he needed to get out of a jam. I would sometimes wonder what sort of jam would require a handcuff key to get out of that didn't include possible incarceration.
A few weeks ago, while cleaning out the garage, I find some thumbcuffs in the top of the toolchest. Now I've been all over this garage for years and I've NEVER seen these thumbcuffs before. I asked him, "Dad, why do you have thumbcuffs?!"
He answers, "Oh, I've had those forever, since before you were born." I look at him for a moment, shudder, then look at the thumbcuffs and test them out, checking that the locking mechanism still works.
I tell my dad, "Hey, I bet you that I can get out of these thumbcuffs no problem."
He says, "Really? Well I don't have the key to those anymore, I'd never be able to get you out of them."
"Of course you do! You've had that damn key on your keyring for years! I bet that these thumbcuffs are where you got that key in the first place." I found out later that thumbcuff keys have a little tab on top of them that go into a little notch on the bottom of the cuffs. This one was just a regular handcuff key.
I hold out my hands, tell him to push down on the locks as hard as he can. When he's done I brace the thumbcuffs against my side and in two seconds they're off. Of course, he tells me exactly how I did it like he's done it dozens of times before, and then I shudder again.
Later, I found myself practicing trying to get them off of me from behind my back by digging a key out of my back pocket and unlocking them. I do it about five times successfully, but on the sixth try I get stuck. The key is in the hole, and I can turn it all the way, but for some reason the cuffs just wont open. Of course, Dad laughs maniacally at my predicament and it takes him about 15 seconds to get me out. Turns out practicing escapes with decades old thumbcuffs has it's drawbacks and pitfalls.
So thank you Brian Brushwood, for making bonding with my dad seem ten times as awkward and creepy as it should be. This wasn't the first story I imagined telling you about, I was thinking more like something about impressing a cute girl at a bar, but this is the only one that has actually happened.
A few weeks ago, while cleaning out the garage, I find some thumbcuffs in the top of the toolchest. Now I've been all over this garage for years and I've NEVER seen these thumbcuffs before. I asked him, "Dad, why do you have thumbcuffs?!"
He answers, "Oh, I've had those forever, since before you were born." I look at him for a moment, shudder, then look at the thumbcuffs and test them out, checking that the locking mechanism still works.
I tell my dad, "Hey, I bet you that I can get out of these thumbcuffs no problem."
He says, "Really? Well I don't have the key to those anymore, I'd never be able to get you out of them."
"Of course you do! You've had that damn key on your keyring for years! I bet that these thumbcuffs are where you got that key in the first place." I found out later that thumbcuff keys have a little tab on top of them that go into a little notch on the bottom of the cuffs. This one was just a regular handcuff key.
I hold out my hands, tell him to push down on the locks as hard as he can. When he's done I brace the thumbcuffs against my side and in two seconds they're off. Of course, he tells me exactly how I did it like he's done it dozens of times before, and then I shudder again.
Later, I found myself practicing trying to get them off of me from behind my back by digging a key out of my back pocket and unlocking them. I do it about five times successfully, but on the sixth try I get stuck. The key is in the hole, and I can turn it all the way, but for some reason the cuffs just wont open. Of course, Dad laughs maniacally at my predicament and it takes him about 15 seconds to get me out. Turns out practicing escapes with decades old thumbcuffs has it's drawbacks and pitfalls.
So thank you Brian Brushwood, for making bonding with my dad seem ten times as awkward and creepy as it should be. This wasn't the first story I imagined telling you about, I was thinking more like something about impressing a cute girl at a bar, but this is the only one that has actually happened.