Now that we are definitely into our holidays, some of the anxiety has rubbed off! The worries are still trying to creep up on me with teenage interventions - Sunday evening, our eldest (very macho 17 year old) called to ask whether we had authorized the youngest (our baby girl at a lanky 14) to go out by herself; I asked - what do you mean? yes, she said she was going to meet a friend at the mall...
He replied: Well, she just got into a car with four "men"...
a cold chill starts down by back and I look fearfully at the father, almost willing him to be struck deaf and I quickly hang up on my helpful son and call the recalcitrant daughter.
- What is going on? Weren't you going out with so and so???
- Yes, mum, I am - we are going to the mall right now (a suspicious silence in tthe background).
- Who are you with??
- I am with so and so's (a neighboring boy) mother and friends.
- (a little calmer) Where is so and so (the aforementioned girlfriend)?
- (a little pause) she is here...
- Ok, can I speak to her?
- oohh, mum please...
- you mean, she isn't there??!!!
- she has already gone with her boyfriend...
By this time, husband is glowering in the background and I am trying to decide whether to threaten daughter with permanent grounding, or even worse - making her go and stay with her grandmother (that'll larn her!). However, I opt for peace and a halfhearted sermon over the phone, impressing on her that if she makes me come back from my holidays, there will be h**l to pay and that she had better call me again when she is home - so I get a call at about 11 p.m. saying that she has just arrived. phew...
The middle son arrived safely at his destination but found out that he had forgotten one of his essential (also one the most expensive) medicines back home, so that meant we had to fork out almost another airfare to cover the cost of a new bottle to tide him over. This was after having to argue (over the phone) with an airport attendant who insisted that she had to have an authenticated copy of his birth certificate (a simple photocopy wasn't enough) in order to allow him to board the plane - he did, but I had to send an authenticated copy by express post to my sister's to guarantee he will be able to come back - another "convenient" expense!
So... we are still here...
And it is pouring with rain...
We had a great dinner last night to celebrate our twenty-fifth at a local restaurant and afterwards, DH bought me a lovely wedding band with white and yellow gold and a tiny diamond chip - very pretty, just can't show it because it will only be delivered next week - they didn't
have my ring size.
