Queen's Afternoon Out!!

Weekends are for family, friends, and fun!! Well, not always!!
Sometimes it's more fun without the family or friends (ouch, I know it hurts but come on, every once in a while, everyone likes their space).

Since the end of June, my 3 gals and I have been on summer vacation; they've been free from their teachers and I've been free from my students!! A perfectly ideal situation, one might say, BUT put 3 hot-headed, hyper-active and loud females (oh alright, I’ll admit, 4) together for too long, and you end up with a very volatile and close to catastrophic situation. Weekdays are spent almost entirely at war but come Friday, we don our pretty smiles and pleasant demeanors for Daddy Dearest, the peacemaker of the family!! We all know that if you make Daddy happy, the chances of having your way are very high! It’s not as easy as it sounds though, and the competition around here is getting very tough. I feel like a novice compared to our gals who play him like a violin and every other instrument!!

Anyway. Back to my story.

After a particularly exhausting week and tiring day out at an amusement park on Saturday, I had just about had it. Come Sunday and I really had to take a break or act on my urge to break something!!! Sensing the intense storm brewing within me, DH volunteered to tuck the kids in for a nap. Well, that wasn’t really enough!! More, more, I needed more.

Obviously at his telepathic best, he realized that his peace and serenity depended on shelling out a lot more. The romantic, sensitive soul that he is, he held me in his arms and whispered the three magic words:

“Honey, go shopping”.

Instantly, my scowl vanished like a pair of fake moustaches the heroes wear in Hindi films. Two seconds later, I vanished from his arms only to reappear in 60 seconds, well-dressed and done, purse in 1 hand, twirling the car-keys in the other. The fastest makeover ever, externally and internally! I looked and felt great!!

I happily got in the car and raced out the driveway lest he changed his mind. Once on the road, I heard something I had never heard before in the car – Nothing. Wow! Can’t imagine why jerks driving alone get so worked up on the road. Ha!! It’s a cakewalk, guys!

I turned on the CD and happily sang along – “and on his farm he had a pig, E-I-E-I-O!!”
Aaaaaw. I’d just heard that with the kids yesterday. I wondered what they were doing.

“Anandi - It has just been 2 minutes. Pull yourself together”, my inner voice screamed.

Nah, I couldn’t miss them already. This afternoon was all about me, and my need to get recharged. I reminded myself that enjoying an afternoon off was well-deserved, and anyway I was going to be back in a couple of hours. I had to stop thinking about them for a bit and focus on myself. Selfish? Maybe but definitely needed!!

As I walked from the parking lot into Macys, I made a mental note of all the things I wanted to pick up. I didn’t need a written list, I decided. As I didn’t have the kids with me, I could rely on memory, right?

Wrong!!

Once inside, I was lost! I had no idea where to start. The mental list was unretrievable and I had to improvise. Alright, I could do this. I was there to do my back-2-school shopping. When I teach, I have to painstakingly work on my appearance to look professional. College students typically don’t take professors wearing oatmeal-stained, faded track-pants with hair shabbily held together in a pony-tail too seriously. Duty beckoned - my reason to be at the mall was justified!

I browsed through racks of clothes from India, Pakistan, China, Mexico, and a half-dozen other countries other than the US. What a treat, where else could I find such fine international smorgasbord of haute couture!! Of course, each country has its own sizing charts which meant I had to head to the fitting rooms.

It was so peaceful in there – for all of 30 seconds! At the most unopportune moment (I leave that to your imagination), I heard persistent slamming at my door, accompanied by inexplicable cacophony. I knew it!! The kids had woken up, screamed their lungs off, and now DH had brought them here…Aaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrgh!!!

Quickly changing back into my clothes, I opened the door. Standing in the hallway were three little girls, probably 6, 4, and 2 along with their frazzled Mom!! The girls (thankfully, not mine) had found a way to engage themselves as their mom tried on stuff – knocking and slamming on all the doors in the fitting room!! How cool!!

The clock was ticking away and I really needed to get home, or so I thought. In all honesty, the family was probably having a whale of a time without me but in my mind, I had to get home soon. After all I was the glue that held everything together. Hey, nothing like a little self-glorification here and there!!!

My thinking was getting warped, my vision distorted. I looked through aisles of purses and bags and wondered: “could it accommodate 1 pull-up, pack of wipes, 1 change of clothes, and a sippy-cup”? I perused the shoe section to see if I could afford a pair that looked chic and savvy but could also withstand a 100-feet dash in record-breaking time at the park. My mind and feet started wandering towards the kids section to see if I could pick something that they needed. When did the afternoon that was all about me cease to be? Or did it even start?

As I quickly paid for my chosen loot, I mentally computed whether I had time to stop quickly at Shoprite to pick up J’s favorite cereal. No, maybe I should just go home straight. What were we having for dinner? Oh God, I didn’t put the laundry in the dryer. Did we have enough milk? Ironing!! Had forgotten all about that. Aaaaarghh!!

Trust my DH to thoroughly turn my routine upside down by making the most ludicrous suggestion: "Honey, go shopping". What was he thinking?

I sped back, just managing to get through every orange light, glaring at slow drivers, and muttering at the fast ones. So what if I was alone in the car, I had tons on my mind and so much to do. Get out of my way!!!

I pulled into the driveway and as the garage door opened, I saw my gals!! They seemed to be doing some sort of celebration dance with smiles a mile long. When I got out, my little one said in a happily-surprised tone: “Ma, you came back!!” Of course, honey.
My 6-year old asked if I had a good time. How thoughtful.
DH looked worn out but he smiled in anticipation. Hmmm.
Finally, my 4-year old asked: “Ma, did you think about us?”. More than you know, honey.
In fact, I've re-written the old saying to “Out of sight, A lot more on the mind”.


Disclaimer:
My motherly emotions, please dont doubt.
I ADORE my kids, even when I shout.
A lot has been written on Queen-"Highs"
Which is why my blog is about Queen-"Sighs"!!