Yesterday was decorated in hectic swag. My beloved's stepfather (who is the only real father he's had) had a stroke on the heels of preceding one from about a month and a half ago. While trying to be at the hospital with his mom and stepdad, he also had my precious Humanling, who is eleven. O Humanling, you who art overflowing with neroses! And terrified of the sight of fire alarms. Not lowercase Oh I don't like it much terrified, but if you were in a burning building with her and the fire alarm went off she'd anchor you to the floor for Fear of Passing it on the Way to Safety and You'd Both be Kebobs sort of terrification.
Her school records indicate her dire and innate fear of fire alarms. When she walks into any building she immediately locates each one. In the back of her mind, her senses are churning, waiting for any subtle sign that it might go off.
Naturally, as the doctors were trying to look at their patient yesterday, at probably the most important moment, Humanling went into one of her emergency stress states over the fact that the fire alarm light was blinking. She didn't want to be IN the room and couldn't be brought OUT of the room. She was basically an emergency all her own. I'm convinced they didn't haul her to the mental ward floor because they are out of tiny little Hello Kitty straightjackets.
My mate called me in a state of calm distress - can I PLEASE come and get her.
Aye, my handsome fella. I be boardin me broom right now!
On the way I picked up a few things from the gas station store - you know, all that stuff you really don't want to eat but in mile long pinch will suck it up and scarf it? Snickers, toasted crackers with peanut butter and planters nuts and a couple of bottles of water. It's a good tip to remember on the way to visit those who have to be (or want to be) in a hospital room and may not want to leave their sick one. My beloved and his mom were very grateful to have something to hold them over until they felt comfortable enough to leave the room for food. Humanling seemed rather docile when I got there. The wild clawing beast that was described to me on the phone had slithered away, leaving my cute, cleared faced child, simply and calmly playing her DSi in a chair.
After checking on everyone, a small but helpful rescue mission was complete - my honey and his mom from babysitting, my child from the helpful and life saving universal alert system.
When we got home it was thundering. You either do or you don't and when it comes to thunderstorms, I most certainly do love them! We put our things in the house and then walked outside with the egg basket to collect from our seven feathered Chickana's outside. On the way we stopped at the raspberry bush to nibble a berry or two. The drops started to come down and give us a small break from the heat and I felt extremely lucky. Lucky to be in the moment that I was in - upright, walking, conscious. Picking berries in the yard on the way to collect eggs from the hens. After the chickens did their little excited side to side run once they noticed us coming, we split off - Humanling to collect, me to the garden to the right, to tear up a little chard and throw it in for them as a thank you. I never cease to laugh out loud when visiting the Ladies. They could be anywhere in their space and once they see a human, they all come running like gangbusters in serious pursuit of what might be the Holy Treat.
Passing some blue and purple flower type bushes in between the lion statues in the yard, we saw two incredibly large Monarch butterflies. One of them was missing more than the bottom half of its right wing. It didn't seem aware that anything was different. It fluttered from flower to flower just as its fully winged counterpart a couple of feet away. I felt like a scene in a 1980s movie as Mister Mister's "Broken Wings" piped into my brain.
Humanling wanted to play wiffle ball. My energy was low. I wanted to be strong for my mate, to do what needs to be done and damn it - to remember how to use a stove. I've mentioned before - the man has been cooking for me for months now since he is not currently working. Now, without him home during the impending span of dinner prep, I had to quickly visit a hypnotherapist....to regress....back to the days when I prepared meals.....
Any other day I would have pushed off Humanling's request to go outside and play. Well, rather for me joining her. This day however, was not to be wasted. None of them are. But to rebuff in the face of a stark reminder would be criminal. One man lies in a hospital bed and here my child wants me to take my fully abled body outside and spend time.
And so I pretend I am Hisanori Takahashi from the Mets. Or rather insert any pitcher's name there. But make it a good one. I'm not trying to emulate a sucky thrower. It rained during our 'game' so we kicked off our shoes and enjoyed a rainbow, running barefoot, her newly found ability to switch hit and mine to throw overhand.
