She Made me Laugh Loudest

Yesterday’s email about punny highway signs reminded me:

I fell in love with Melissa over a silly joke.

I was 25. She was 23. We were gathered with friends at her apartment, playing a game called fictionary.

The rules: One person holds the dictionary and chooses a word the other players don’t know. Each player writes a fake definition on a sheet of paper. The player with the dictionary reads aloud the fake definitions, plus the real one. Each player guesses which definition is the real one.

One point if you guess the real definition. One point for each time another player guesses your definition.

Then the dictionary rotates to the next player. Rinse and repeat.

The word was “COFF.” It’s a Scottish word. It means “buy.”

Our friend Aimee held the dictionary and read the definitions.

“Coff (noun): A small, hidden compartment within a piece of furniture.”

“Coff (verb): To playfully tease or mock someone by imitating their mannerisms”

“Coff (noun): A carved figurine, believed by ancient civilizations to possess protective powers”

And then this…

“Coff (noun): A casket for short people.”

Our friends around the table chuckled. I exploded with laughter. (Artist’s rendering of me: )

As I wiped the tears from my eyes, I glanced across the table and saw Melissa, staring at her shoes, blushing, smiling.

She was delighted to have made us laugh. I remember thinking, “I wonder if she’s delighted that she made ME laugh loudest.”

I was sitting next to our friend Lilly. I’d had a crush on her, but I was getting over that.

I turned to my left and glanced at Lilly. I turned again toward Melissa, and thought, “Yep, I’m falling for HER — the one with the silly sense of humor, the one who makes me laugh.”

In September, Melissa and I will celebrate our 30th anniversary. She still makes me laugh.