“Inside every small business is someone slowly going crazy” These remarkable words from the genius of Joseph Hoeller, can’t be any truer than it is now.
Picking up a wad of junk mail that had spilled out from the letterbox onto the sidewalk, I had meant to toss them all into the recycling bin in the kitchen. Instead, I walked past the kitchen straight into the laundry where our deep freezer lives in between the washing machine and laundry tub. Opening one of the drawers that had some packets of meat, I placed the wad of catalogues on top of the steak and left the laundry.
3 days later, young master Ritch walks out of the laundry, trying to prise off the now frozen catalogues from the steak.
Life can be very entertaining living with a mum stricken at most times with a severe case of Mumnesia.
I think it was a couple of weekends ago when we had some glorious sunshine, I took a reprieve from Motherhood in general, deciding a good book and a cup of tea was in order. Ritch had some friends over, Drue was entertaining his swag of friends in the pool gazebo, Zip was busy making garments and Little Miss Mischief was playing next door with her “best friend forever” Bailey. I wasn’t needed as a mum for at least a little while.
My destination was the ‘readers nook’ in the garden. Finishing with making the tea, I put the kettle in the fridge, having to rearrange the contents a bit to fit the kettle and the milk went in the cupboard. It all seemed so normal. Stepping outside, I had to shake of a feeling something was a tad amiss with my world.
The reader’s nook as I call it, is located down the side of the house. A sunken paved area occupied by an L-shaped outdoor lounge, flanked by a cascading garden of ferns & orchids held back by a high retaining wall. Filtered light from above sneaks through large overhanging trees that seems to dance and sway with the breeze, a tranquil oasis of cool serenity. Seated on the lounge it gives one a snail’s view of the rest of the garden, a vision of beauty on a sunny, spring day. It is also the location where you will find me in the company of a really good book and an even better cup of tea.
By the time I had read 2 chapters of an epic Raymond Fiest novel, Zip sauntered around the corner with arms folded and a cheeky smirk, from inside the house I could hear Ritch and his mates in bellowing laughter. Within seconds, the slam of the screen door could be heard with continual laughter as Ritch and all of his mates staggered around the corner behind Zip, still in a state of hysteria.
“I wanted to make a cup of tea, but no, I couldn’t find the kettle!” she said sternly, the boys still cackling themselves from behind. “So I get juice from the fridge instead, there I find the kettle, IN THE FRIDGE!” I hide my cup in my book and give her a 'might not have been me' look. The older boys walk over to join in. Tim laughs, “My mum does that all the time!”
I silently start counting the seconds down in which Ritch will begin to remind them all of the time I lost my car for 3 days. 5 and half seconds later, I cringe behind the cover of my book, now pulled up high to cover my face. “That was soooooo hilarious, even my mum hasn’t done anything that bad” Ritch’s mate Shaun laughs out. 2 little girl’s faces peer over the fence “what are you all laughing about?” Ritch who is still trying to stand up straight from laughter “Do you remember the time Mum lost the car for 3 days?”
“Oh, yeah that was so funny!” Little Miss Mischief laughs back. I cringe to the depths of an all time low as I overhear Little Miss Mischief retelling the tale to Bailey.
Eye’s closed I have a vision of the distant future. I’m 92 and in a nursing home, the kids along with the grandkids are all still laughing about the time I lost the car for 3 days.
I am so never going to live that one down.
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