Bon Jovi and the POPO

In college, I had this life-sized cardboard cut out of Bon Jovi.  It adorned my dorm room until I was on summer or Christmas breaks and then it would sit in my grandmother's attic waiting patiently for my return to school.

I don't remember how I got it.  I worked at the mall so I could have sweet-talked someone at Spencers or a record store.  (Yes, I'm that old)

Unfortunately, during my junior year - my grandmother passed.  This meant cleaning out her house, which set a couple blocks from campus, and determines what to do with her household goods, clothing, etc.  My mother flew in from Hawaii, so she, my sister, and I could handle the task of going through decades of stuff together.

After a full day and night of doing just that, we decided to go out to eat.  Upon returning to my grandmother's home, we noticed the front door was ajar.  Did we forget to lock it?  Or had someone broken in?

We called the local police, who ordered us, with guns drawn, to stay safely outside.  The next moments were pretty tense - especially when we heard a lot of commotion coming from the second story of her home (her attic).  We heard a yell and gathered closer together in grandma's yard, not knowing what to expect.

Imagine our surprise when one officer bound out her front door laughing so hard he was crying.  Not one minute later, the second officer begrudgingly came out with a sour look on his face.  He was mortified.

WHY?  Apparently, he saw the 6 foot Bon Jovi cardboard cut out in the attic, thought he was a perp, and ordered him to freeze and raise his hands.  Imagine this officer - heart-pounding, trigger finger ready, and not understanding why this handsome fellow was just staring at him without listening to his bark - unwilling to submit to him.

When the second officer rushed upstairs, he immediately recognized Bon Jovi's famous mug and burst out laughing, making fun of his partner.

I don't know about officer number 1, but that was exactly the comedic relief my family needed.  We couldn't contain our giggles which turned into belly-busting, side hurting, tears streaming laughs.  It was one of those labile reactions that every emotion pushed through and flooded our hearts - laughing when we could have been crying.  Tears of joy shed instead of tears filled with pain.

So, thank you, Bon Jovi for always giving me that memory during such a rough time in my life.  Although you were almost shot by the POPO - you were our hero.

We were living on a prayer and that officer came bounding out in a blaze of glory - okay not glory - more like mortified, but that's okay.

I'm heading to see Bon Jovi in concert tonight in OKC and can't wait.  This will be my second time and my husband's third.  No matter what age he turns, he ages with grace and his voice is always on point.

And everytime I see his beautiful face, I think of that cardboard cut out and how it almost met it's demise in my grandmother's attic.