Saturday, September 8, 2007

sometimes . . .

it sucks to be me.

Yesterday was one of those times. The morning started nicely. Hubby was off work as it was his birthday (happy birthday sugar). We slept in and the children got themselves up and ready for school. Such good kids! Hubby and I had a leisurely breakfast and lingered over coffee (him) and tea (me). He had golfing to do and I had shopping to do. I left the table first to shower and dress. When I returned to tell him the shower was his, I got a terrible look.

"That was your daughter's principal." Why is she always MY daughter when he's unhappy? I politely ignored the incorrect pronoun and asked why. There was an accident. Our lovely daughter hit another car in the truck my father gave her. Well, not another car, exactly. A bus. A schoolbus. Full of children. With her brother in the front seat.

I got into my car and drove to the high school. The ladies in the office sent for her. She started crying when she rounded the corner and saw me looking her way. She wiped her eyes. I told her she looked pretty good for a girl who had an accident that morning. Her response, "Well, this is really good mascara, Mom. It's waterproof." We got into my car and drove over to her parking lot (it's a pretty big high school). My husband had been told it wasn't a bad accident. I was expecting a dented bumper.

What I saw: a passenger door that wouldn't open, a cracked headlight and annhilated turn signal cover, a crumpled hood and hanging bumper. That was when I started to cry. Not one, but two of my children were inside when it was hit. Or, more accurately, when it hit something.

We did some serious talking and I told her things would be ok, then sent her back into school. I started making the necessary phone calls. First, Daddy. I told him what happened, that I was sorry, that she was alright. My father, who almost literally hit the ceiling when I had my first accident, said, "Baby, it's just a truck. Drive it home to me and I'll get it fixed." And I started to cry again. Daddy then reminded me of his birthday the year I was sixteen. When I wrecked his truck. Caved in the back of the cab with an oil field motor. With two of my cousins inside. And he laughed. I can assure you he did not think it was funny at the time.

By now it's 11:00am and I haven't even started the shopping. I had a cake to make for the elementary's cake walk and cookies to make for the middle school's bake sale. (Does it never occur to the powers that be that a family might have children in more than one school? I actually have one child in each of those PLUS another at the high school.) At this point there is no way I can shop and bake and drop everything off by 3:30pm, so I do what any resourceful and harried mother would do: I fake it. I buy a frosted cake and two dozen cookies at my favorite local bakery, take them home, put the cake into the box the school provided, put the cookies on a paper plate, cover them with saran wrap, and proceed to deliver them to the schools as if I had made them myself. So sue me. I'd had a bad day.

And it wasn't over. I inadvertently locked poor little Streudel in the master suite with no food, no water, and no litter box. I have a lovely bathroom with a tile floor. He did not choose to urinate there. He did not even choose to urinate on the carpet. The damn cat peed on my bed. Twice.

I think that's about it. Oh, wait, I didn't even tell you about taking hubby to the after hours clinic. He played golf and pulled a muscle deep in his shoulder somewhere. On his birthday. He did get some really good muscle relaxers, though. I think I'm going to take one and go to bed.

12 comments:

Willowtree said...

Yep. I'd have to agree, sometimes it sucks to be you.

aminah said...

you poor thing! You didn't deserve that. I am glad your children are safe!

laurie said...

wow. that's the worst day i've heard of in a long time. a memorable birthday, to say the least. and cat pee on the bed.... yikes.

today will be better. there's no way it can't be. and everyody's healthy. that's the main thing. heck, that's everything.

Kim said...

Thanks, Willow. I think.

Aminah, you always say the sweetest things. Thanks for dropping by.

It was a terrible, horrible, no good, really bad day, Laurie. I don't think we'll ever forget it. I did find a really cool product that's supposed to take animal urine out of everything to where even the animals don't smell it any more. I can't wait until it gets here.

I did laugh really hard once during the day. At lovely daughter's mascara comment. She's such a girly girl sometimes.

laurie said...

yes, the mascara comment made me chuckle even as i was empathizing with everything else.

is the product called "nature's miracle"? it works really, really well on dog mistakes. can't vouch for cats, though.

the rotten correspondent said...

Oh Kaycie - I hope you took TWO of his pills and went to sleep. What a day. I'm so glad everyone was okay and without raccoon eyes to boot.

I hate to think how many years that phone call took off your life.

I hope today is better. Much better. I'm sure it will be.

Kim said...

Yes, it is, Laurie, and they make a special formula just for cats! I'm glad to know it worked for you.

RC, we're all much better today. I'm taking her truck to my Daddy tomorrow and he's going to get it fixed up. Hubby has a 1967 Chevrolet 3/4 ton truck that is at Daddy's, so I'm driving it home. I'll be driving it while the girl drives my car. Hubby won't let her lay a finger on his classic truck. ;)

Crystal Jigsaw said...

What a bugger of a day for you. Happy Birthday to your husband. Hope the kids are okay. And hope you managed to relax, unwind and give your husband a nice massage.

Crystal xx

wakeupandsmellthecoffee said...

Hope everyone has recovered, particularly you. Still, you managed to maintain some sense of humor. Lovely daughter should advertise the mascara. Hod did you manage to get the cat pee smell out of your bed?

Kim said...

Thanks, Crystal. Hubby did in fact get his birthday massage -- the next day.

WUASTC, we have recovered fairly well, thank you. I thought the mascara bit was hilarious. We have one of the tempurpedic matresses that has a cover around it that zips off. I took it off and washed it which worked for now. I am anxiously awaiting my bottle of Nature's Miracle for Cats to be sure the dog and cats can't smell it anymore, either.

Fire Byrd said...

And you say I'm exhausted!!! I feel worn out reading about your day.
I think you probably needed the massage yourself not just hubs!
pxx

Kim said...

It was a hell of a day. I could have used a massage, too, but I settled for a muscle relaxer and a nice sleep.