If you've ever had the opportunity to see a wet cat, then you would have some idea of how I must have looked after the downpour we had today. The rain began around two this afternoon and I wished fervently that it would cease long enough to allow me to collect Shakir from school and get home. I had plans to cock my feet up and read a book, but the rain had other plans for me. My mother lent me her jacket, hat and umbrella and so I went to the school in disguise.
The peak of the hat pulled low to conceal my face and the jacket zipped up my chin, I clutched the umbrella and trekked through flooding waters to collect my son. There's something about the rain that I must admit relaxes me but I should have liked to be at home, dry and warm, peering at it through the window. Anyway, halfway to the school, the rain decided to step up its game by increasing its intensity about tenfold. "Let's see how much further this fool girl thinks she can get," it seemed to taunt, "feel she is a super hero, huh?" Up until that point, it hadn't even occurred to me that I could find temporary shelter until the rain slowed a little and so I was a mere hair's breadth away when I stupidly sought refuge under the shed of the nearby car dealership. I wrung what must have been a couple of glasses of water from my skirt. Don't ask what I was trying to prove because I'm sure I couldn't say. Anyhow, from my dry spot, I spotted a woman trying to urge traffic to stop to allow her to cross over to the other side of the street where the water was marginally shallow and I felt just a little arrogant thinking how smart I was to take a minute to catch my breadth and let a little of the water dry off. You can laugh at me at this point. I certainly had to laugh at my own stupidity. The rain thundering down, showing little or no sign of abating and yours truly is stranded under a shed feeling proud and actually mocking someone else in a similar boat? To further illuminate my brilliance, when I finally decided to move, I discovered that I had trapped myself behind a shallow pool and I had no choice but to wade through the murky, dank water. If mine was a weaker spirit, I would have passed out at the very thought. Sucking in a deep breath and wearing a grimace of distaste, I did exactly that, never hesitating until I made my way up the stairs to enquire which class was Shak's. You'll remember that I said I was disguised, so imagine my astonishment, when a teacher that I've seen around, who didn't realise had ever seen me before, asked if I was looking for my son. I nodded, half expecting that she had me mistaken for someone else, but sure enough she took me to the right class. His teacher took one look at me and called Shakir so I think its safe to say my disguise didn't work. Well, a minute later when my child realised that it was me there to pick him up, his greeting was a pout, rather than the smile I would have liked after all I had been through. But its okay. When you become a mom, you learn that even if they can't see the struggle, the end result is worth it. And you know what, someday they'll understand what sacrifices you've made for them.
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About AllisonAllison is mother to two active boys who challenge her on a day to day basis with their escapades. In her other life, Allison juggles a regular day job as a marketing executive in a health food organization. At night, when everyone is asleep, she dreams of being a fulltime writer and super hero. Archives
October 2016
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