another message
I’ve been dying to address this for the last two weeks:
I was going to discuss how:
- I knew I’d be home late from work and thus, prior to leaving for the day, I took out a can of Chicken Noodle and steamed some broccoli for Maya’s dinner. (Don’t be too jealous of my culinary skills.)
- Prior to my departure, I informed my husband of the latitude and longitude of Maya’s meal in our super full fridge (note sarcasm) to avoid receiving terse text messages insisting, “Maya’s food is not in the fridge. I checked.”
- I’d instructed my husband not to let Maya go crazy with the Chex and string cheese, no matter how much she hassled him.
- I’d advised Ali to assure Maya that no, life is not fair. And yes, Mom is mean.
But then this happened:
A hit and run.
And then Ali told me that because he didn’t chase down the other driver to obtain a license plate number, our fabulous insurance company is making us cover the deductible. On top of that they informed us that it’ll be 2 months before the car is fixed and they have no plans to provide us with a rental during that time.
So I felt bad and decided to cut my husband some slack on the whole soup debacle. But it’s been a couple of weeks, Ali is driving his parent’s extra car again, and my sympathy has worn off.
And now that the debacle has finally been addressed? I feel…liberated.
road trip
Some people love to take road trips.
We are not those people.
No, we are more the type of people:
- Whose entire goal is to get from Point A to Point B with no stops and in the least amount of time possible.
- Who panic when presented with two lane highways filled with never-ending traffic.
- Who drive to Las Vegas but then can’t enjoy New Year’s Eve because we are too busy resting up for our departure at 4:30 am on New Year’s Day to ensure that we remain unaffected by the other 1.5 zillion revelers leaving Vegas. (True story. Twice.)
So the 2 hour drive up to Santa Barbara was actually quite nice. Traffic was cooperative and aside from telling me that I was in need of a tan, Ali kept most of his comments to himself.
Also, because I sat in the backseat keeping constant vigilance, Maya didn’t throw up. Sure she used my white purse as a pillow and asked me every ten minutes how much longer we would be in the car, but she didn’t throw up.
And that right there? That’s a vacation in itself.
But then there was the drive back from our hotel.
Let’s just say that it involved a traffic filled 3 + hours, a 30 minute detour trying to find a Chevron (courtesy of our faulty GPS), and comments from my husband like, “Ameena, are you okay if I ram the car into this guy’s bumper so he’ll move faster? That’s the only way we’re going to get home by 2013.”
It also involved a stop at a very large and overwhelming outlet mall, a regrettable purchase at the J. Crew outlet, and another 30 minute detour to find some Whole Foods sushi.
It’s good to be home.
another flat
Last Sunday, at approximately 4:52 pm I discovered the 50th nail in my tire this year. *
At 4:53 pm I called around to find out who could fix my tire. I received responses like, “It’s 5 minutes to 5pm on a Sunday. Can’t help you.” And then (insert smart ass laugh), “No I don’t know who else can help you because everyone else is closing too. It’s Sunday evening you know.”
No, I didn’t know. But I appreciate the insight Captain Obvious.
At a birthday party this past weekend. Where my tire was not flat.
Anyway, I did what I always do when I need help: I headed over to Ali’s parents’ house.
Me: “I have a nail in my tire and nobody can fix it until the morning.”
Ali’s Dad: “You can take our extra car. It’s no problem.”
Me: “But the extra car only seats two. How do we take Maya home?”
Ali’s Dad: “Well you can take my car then. It’s no problem.”
Here’s how the rest of the evening progressed:
- The extra car had no gas…My MIL offered to go fill it up (I declined. I swear I did).
- I randomly complained my hair was like straw….My MIL handed me a giant bottle of deep conditioner.
- I suddenly felt famished….My in-laws took us out to dinner.
- At dinner Maya started feeling feverish. I openly fretted about finding babysitting on a Monday morning….My MIL said she’d babysit until Maya felt better.
A few days later Ali picked up our child and my car. Both of which were in perfect working condition, thanks to my in-laws.
My friend Nadia does not take a bad picture. Ever.
So besides the obvious fact that I complain too much and need to start acting my age, do you know what blows me away? The fact that neither of my in-laws ever acknowledge any of the countless and extraordinarily generous things they do for me.
I think we can all agree that I am unbelievably lucky. And that I have a lot to learn about being a good person.
While I'm not going to win Mother/Wife of the Year Award anytime soon, I haven't killed anyone yet or shot myself in the head. And that, my friends, is how I calculate success these days. 
FANCY THAT FANCY THIS 