I knew that I had achieved the status of "Early Adulthood" during a summer years ago, when my older brother and I were working for my father at his sheet metal fabrication company. As kids, my brothers and I were always taught to respect our elders, never use curse words and to be mindful of the appropriateness of our conversations and interactions with adults.

My brother and I were working on a project that my father had assigned to us when we discovered that he (my dad) had made a mistake in his evaluation and instructions for the project (something that rarely happened). My brother and I decided that his error couldn't go without proper challenge and humorous criticism, so without hesitation we began teasing him and rubbing his face in the moronic level of his mistake (Similar to what one buddy would do to another buddy).

My dad, clearly embarrassed and frustrated by the inaccuracy of his calculations and instructions, started to get a little irritated with our teasing.
After having his fill of our badgering, he said, "Enough! --- you boys get back to work. ---- I'm not paying you to stand they flapping your jaws!"

As he turned and started walking back to his office, I inquired (in a loud voice) if the big dog couldn't handle a little teasing from the pups. He was about thirty feet from my brother and I when he turned around to face us.
My initial thoughts were that we had teased him a little to much and had finally pushed his hot button.

Though it was only a couple of seconds, it seemed like an eternity. My brother and I, standing side by side, facing down my father. It reminded me of the tension of a gunfight, immediately before the first person draws their weapon. My father yelled to us across the production floor (By this time his full-time employees were aware of what had transpired and were watching to see the bloodshed). He said, "Boys, --------- I've got something here in my pocket for you both". He began digging and searching in his right front pocket for something. After several moments, he appeared to have found what he was searching for and promptly pulled his hand from his pocket and
with great gusto and enthusiasm flipped my brother and I, "The Finger".

My brother and I stood there in shock as the other men began laughing at the outcome of the situation. With his arm still outstretched, and his one finger salute still proudly extended, he shouted above the laughter, "You to men get back to work".

Our relationship with our Father and how we felt about ourselves was changed forever. On that day we were somehow transformed from being boys to being men. To this day, when my father and I get together and the teasing gets elevated, one of us will reach into our pocket and say "I've got something for you!".