A Vote of Confidence

Daniel got a balloon at the Boone County Fair, courtesy of Green Giant.  They’re a big employer in Belvidere.  Daniel handed it to me and asked if I would blow it up.  I threw it in the air and made a “BOOM!” sound.

“There you go,” I said.  “All blown up.”  Despite the enormous crowds on hand, it was strangely silent.  Daniel didn’t laugh, didn’t even crack a smile.  His eye lasers were set to flambé.

So, I ended up inflating the balloon to Daniel’s specifications.  It ended up a little bit larger than I would have made it myself, but I thought it was manageable.  I was wrestling with the end and trying to knot it up when I noticed Daniel was standing with his eyes closed and his hands across his ears.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence!” I said.  Daniel opened his eyes and looked at me.

“Oh, I knew you could do it,” he said.  I didn’t say anything.  I just let the balloon deflate in my hand; a juicy raspberry sound.   He asked me again if I would blow up the balloon.

“Well, do you trust me to do it?” I asked.  He nodded.  I took a deep breath and got it near to the size it had been when – suddenly – it popped in my face.  I flinched backwards with the latex end still hanging between my lips like a damp cigarette.  Daniel didn’t say anything, just handed me another balloon from his pocket.

“Here you go,” he said.  “You have my confidence!”

“I noticed you just happened to have a second balloon,” I observed.

“I knew that you could blow up the balloon,” said Daniel, “but I figured you might need some practice.”