I sat on my patio, smoking (I have finally succumbed after a 3 year battle) and feeling content. Christopher (supposedly) asleep in his cot. A hot cup of tea. The birds chattering and flocking to pick up the pieces of cheese that Christopher and I had crumbled under the trees yesterday. A beautiful crested barbet. A shiny bird (a starling perhaps?). Sparrows and doves. There is something so innately satisfying about feeding wild things. The grass is brown and winter-fatigued. But still, sitting there, looking over the garden- I feel happy.
Earlier on I had taken Christopher to the Secret Garden. Met up with friends and saw a friend that I have not seen since varsity. (photos taking too long to include- will have to add them later). Karen heads back to Saudi on Thursday- so nice to catch up with her while she was here. Denise the same bubbly funny person I remember. Tanya going through the teething blues with Connor who is not even a month older than Karen's little one- Alex- both of them born this year Jan.
I am reluctant to leave- but know that I need to get Christopher home for his lunch time nap or I will have a misery on my hands later. He falls asleep in the car. These are times that I love. Carrying him out of the car as he leans against me, warm, sleepy and trusting and my heart swells. I put him to bed, fetch the things from my boot and sit on the patio with my tea (and my smoke).
Realise he has not had a sleep- but it is time for us to go out anyway. Meet Loren and Reece at Mugg and Bean. Have a Guaranteedtoexpandyourarseblueberry muffin (my favourite). Christopher gets creative with his chocolate milkshake which is spread over the table rather than in his cup.
Leave to go to the theatre to watch Beautiful Creatures. Marcia is running late with Matt so I wait for her. There is a mix up with the tickets so Loren goes ahead to get our seats. Marcia ( a swimming mom) rushes up, apologetic- she had found a boy who had lost his mommy and made sure he was safely returned. I hardly recognise her with make-up and her hair blowdryed straight. We are so used to seeing each other in our "raw" state- no make-up. Bed-head hair. No point in making an effort when you've got up at the crack of sparrow fart and are getting into the pool with your kids and you know there is going to be lots of splashing. I wonder what she thinks of me. I have turquoise eye-shadow on to match the jersey I had been wearing earlier. Before it was Christopied.
I have a short-fuse for queues. I don't do queues. Sarah had guaranteed that I just had to come to her office when my friend arrived and she would make sure that I got in. I am at the front of the queue and expect to be taken right away. Instead there are a never-ending stream of late comers that seem to take precedence, buying tickets from her while 2 fellow employees stand around gormlessly watching her.
So I throw a strop. Is it not possible for one of these to take me. One of them takes me. Where are we going? Upstairs. But my sister-in-law is downstairs- she has saved me a seat and my friend is waiting at the entrance downstairs. Blank look. But Sarah told me to take you upstairs. But my friends are waiting downstairs. But now I don't know what to do because that is not what Sarah told me. You better go back to Sarah. A rabid STROP follows. She looks like a stunned mullet and tells me to just go in and beats a hasty retreat. I go to the lady at the door collecting tickets. I am ready for a fight. Throw another strop and tell her I am going in and if she has any problems with that then she better see Sarah.
Enjoy a lovely show for the most part. Christopher had not had a sleep so he gets all wired and whiny and is trying to hit the girl in the seat in front of us when he is not leopard crawling along the floor and using me as a human climbing frame.
Arrive at my car and put Christopher in his seat. Hand him Lucky (his faithful mechanised doggie) whom he clutches to his chest. Go to boot to get my cellphone. Increasing panic as I realise it is not there. Spend the next hour retracing my steps. The restaurant manager phones it. Engaged. Later it just goes to voicemail. Sure sign that it has been stolen.
As I drive home I think that there are worse things to lose and I am upset about it but calm. I think to myself- instant karma. Payback for the strops I threw back there. I believe in that kind of thing. The wheel turns. Mine spins wildly.
Come back and block the phone and the Sim card. Bastards. I hate it when this sort of thing happens. When you are reminded that the world is not full of well-intentioned people. You feel a kind of vulnerability. A vulnerability that you spend your life trying to distract yourself from. A security breach in the shiny bubble.
But all in all- still a good day. A day spent with friends always is. Tomorrow we will repair and polish the bubble. Enshellah (God-willing), as Karen would say.
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