The apple right under the tree

The other night Annie and I were sitting on the couch watching A Hard Days Night. She is familiar with the Beatles' music and while she was watching them "act" their way through one of their early commercial ventures, she fed me a barrage of questions. "Why is George wearing those shoes?" "What kind of guitar is that?" " Where did all those girls come from." I sat there trying to explain the culture of the early 60's and the image of the band at the beginning in terms a 6 year old could understand. It was nice cuddling on the couch. She wasn't asking question because she wanted to know the answers, she just wanted to talk. She likes to talk.
There's a scene in the movie when the band is in a dressing room and they're being silly, using makeup and trying on costumes. Prop comedy. John Lennon had a fake beard on and she asked "Why does the Beatle have a beard?" She paused and started laughing as she added "Because the earwig won't let it be. See Dad, I made a joke."
I thought about it for a minute, earwigs are nasty little creepy looking bugs that hide in damp places during the summer. Earwigs are her #1 least favorite kind of bug. She made a pun that connected the musical group Beatles to the type of bug called a beetle. Nice connection and it was especially clever the way she used a song title to tie it in. She was right, she did make a joke. It wasn't a particularly well crafted joke, it didn't flow and the premise was awkwardly revealed. Still, she made a joke and I laughed with her, feeling the same swell of pride any father feels when he sees his child swing a bat or play the piano. I see her learning how to do something I do well. My girl is funny, like her father before her.