While we were usually the ones getting baby-sat there
were time that we would have another group of kids over to be watched
and it turned the normal craziness into pan-delirium. One night in
particular we had a few kids over and we were trying to eat dinner,
and it was something that required ketchup to choke down. We had a
small amount of ketchup left in the bottom of the old bottle so my
dad had inverted it and let it all run down but it had been like that
for quite some time and had evidently fermented and caused a massive
build up of pressure right directly behind the remaining ketchup
plug. All the kids were on two long benches, which are just leg traps
for tables and when my dad cracked open the lid ketchup liquor
exploded up and out of the bottle. It flew into everyone's face and
kids were rolling and squirming backwards in the bench trying to
writhe free to be able to cry the acidic alcohol our of their eyes.
Kids were crying in terror, and pain, and just because and my mom was
trying to calm us all down and try and clean up the kitchen and it
was not happening. No one died but the roof had a 18” round ketchup
stain the endured through several paintings.
