My Guilty Valentine
I had planned to take off Friday, February 13 to run a slew of errands, do a slew of housework and maybe see a movie, but round about 11, just when I was gaining momentum, the nurse at Sam's school called and asked me to come get him. He'd been battling the flu early last week and apparently it hung on longer. So, suddenly, my day of errands and cleaning and movie watching became whatever I could fit in around Sam's need to eat and rest.
We made a quick trip to the grocery store for that night's dinner and for the ingredients for Jell-O Jigglers, the treat I had signed up to bring to Abby's school Valentine's Day party. We ate lunch, I did some laundry, made a pot roast and the Jigglers and at 3 p.m. we headed to Jake and Abby's school for their parties. Their school is about five miles away, with traffic a 15-minute drive, but I swear it took me 30 minutes to get there. In addition to the Jigglers, 60 valentines and four teachers' gifts I was toting two vases of flowers. I had to hold them in my right hand the whole way so they wouldn't spill. (I have no idea how they got them home.)
When we got to school we went straight to Abby's room because they were expecting the Jigglers. (If I can digress, toddlers go berserk for Jigglers.) After spending 15 minutes we headed down the hall to Jake's class.
Three of the four snack tables were stripped of their holiday decorations. But the fourth table still had its strips of red and white crepe paper and heart decorations. And sitting at that table, alone, was Jake, with his plate of garish cookies and cheese curls and juice.
"He said he won't start without you," his teacher told me.
I apologized profusely. He didn't buy it. After a few minutes he said he wanted to go home.
For most of the night he was sullen. At the dinner table, during High/Low, he said his low was that I missed his party. I said that was my low too, but by this point I was the one was crying. I don't think I'll ever forget that face ... genuine heartbreak.
Soon enough Jake calmed down but now I was the one who was weepy. Bryon convinced him to give me a hug, so he shuffled into the kitchen, hugged my legs and said, "I'm sorry you missed my party."
It made me feel a little better. A little.
We made a quick trip to the grocery store for that night's dinner and for the ingredients for Jell-O Jigglers, the treat I had signed up to bring to Abby's school Valentine's Day party. We ate lunch, I did some laundry, made a pot roast and the Jigglers and at 3 p.m. we headed to Jake and Abby's school for their parties. Their school is about five miles away, with traffic a 15-minute drive, but I swear it took me 30 minutes to get there. In addition to the Jigglers, 60 valentines and four teachers' gifts I was toting two vases of flowers. I had to hold them in my right hand the whole way so they wouldn't spill. (I have no idea how they got them home.)
When we got to school we went straight to Abby's room because they were expecting the Jigglers. (If I can digress, toddlers go berserk for Jigglers.) After spending 15 minutes we headed down the hall to Jake's class.
Three of the four snack tables were stripped of their holiday decorations. But the fourth table still had its strips of red and white crepe paper and heart decorations. And sitting at that table, alone, was Jake, with his plate of garish cookies and cheese curls and juice.
"He said he won't start without you," his teacher told me.
I apologized profusely. He didn't buy it. After a few minutes he said he wanted to go home.
For most of the night he was sullen. At the dinner table, during High/Low, he said his low was that I missed his party. I said that was my low too, but by this point I was the one was crying. I don't think I'll ever forget that face ... genuine heartbreak.
Soon enough Jake calmed down but now I was the one who was weepy. Bryon convinced him to give me a hug, so he shuffled into the kitchen, hugged my legs and said, "I'm sorry you missed my party."
It made me feel a little better. A little.
posted by Romine Family at 2:29 PM
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