The Clothespin Game (June 26, 2022)

 

And now, a funny Lewis-Yang family story. Thanks to Todd for reminding us about it and resurrecting the game.

When Scott and I would visit our families in Georgia, we had what we called "the hostage exchange" in which the two families would meet for lunch and we would be handed off from one family to the next. These were always fun occasions for the families to get together. One time, I think it was at The Old Spaghetti Factory in Atlanta, someone brought a clothespin. I have no idea how it started, but it quickly evolved into a game in which the objective was to sneakily pin the clothespin to the back of someone's clothing. People would give each other hugs and pats on the back and then the recipient would either frantically pat themselves down to check for the clothespin or blissfully go about their business while everyone else pointed and snickered. The clothespin rotated to different victims frequently. I'm not 100% sure, but I believe that at the end of that lunch, Scott went home with the clothespin on his back, courtesy of Mom Yang.

When the families gathered together last month to bury Scott, Todd brought a clothespin and the game began once again. I like to think that Scott was watching us and it made him smile. Scott's nephew and niece especially enjoyed the game, so the tradition may continue.