“Okay son, here’s the deal. We’re going to tie you to the hood of the car and you’re going to look for daddy’s watch.”

The boy looked up at his father, mouth open and eyes wide like a fish. He struggled with whether or not his father was joking or if he was truly contemplating making his son into an impromptu hood ornament. This question was answered when his father went around to the trunk and dug out a pair of bungee cords, brandishing them with glee and smiling encouragingly at his flabbergasted son.

“Daddy, I don’t think Mommy will like this,” he attempted, hoping this diversion would dim the maniacal glint in his father’s eyes.

“Well, your mommy doesn’t really like anything, so one more item on the list is not going to break the Gorgon’s back, so to speak,” the father informed him while hoisting the little boy on to the hood. “Besides, Daddy’s watch is very, very important,” he finished, patting his now strapped-in son on the head and running over to the driver’s seat of the car.