In a tight spot

I don't even know how, but this happened today. In the library. The boys had finished their school work, and we sent them off to peruse the books. I scooted around to the same side of the table as Jeff, so we could chat in our library voices. After a little while, I heard a very minor scuffling sound behind me and turned around to remind whichever boy where we were and what he needed to be doing. From where I was, I couldn't quite tell what was going on, but I knew most definitely that Max wasn't reading like he was supposed to be, so I told him to find a book and sit down. He loud-whispered that he couldn't sit down and then hung his head, burying his explanation in his chest. Finally, I got him to tell me what the problem was: he was stuck! He had somehow managed to (silently) get his knee stuck between a metal pole and the wall. He was becoming distraught but understood perfectly the gravity of being in the library, so he was sincerely trying not to make a sound. Attempting to stifle a laugh, I went over to offer some assistance. But, he was really and truly stuck, and I couldn't get his leg to budge either. Eventually, I went over to get Jeff, who thought the situation one of the most absurd things he'd ever seen and came to the rescue, only after snapping a couple of pics. Jeff assessed the situation and decided the best solution was to lube the boy's knee up and see if it would slide out, which we did, using some lotion from my purse. Jeff said he would only get Max out on the condition that he didn't scream when we pulled his knee out. I'm pretty sure Max believed he was doomed to spend the rest of his days hugging that ugly green post in the library, so he readily agreed to Jeff's terms and managed not to make a peep as his knee was being freed. As we were leaving the library, Max glared at the pole and declared under his breath, "I'll never do that again!" So, lesson learned. The hard way. Of course. There is seriously never a dull moment when you have kids, and especially if you have a Max!