Continued....
OK Where did I leave off. Oh yeah. I had decided to go to Chicago with much prodding from Jill. I had set the time with Brian and now I had to tell everyone what I was doing. I just did not live in a world where I could disappear for a whole weekend and no one would notice. First I had to call Jill back and let her know that I was really going to go through with it. She was floored. She never thought I would actually do it. I don't think I have heard her laugh like that since I told her. When I hung up the phone with Jill I decided to tackle the biggest problem. My parents.
It was a typical Monday night. They were both seated on the sofa in our living room watching TV. They had no idea the bomb I was about to drop on them. I went to the living room, sat in the chair and waited for a commercial to come on. While waiting for the commercial I could feel myself chickening out. There is no way I could look my dad in the eye and tell him. I had always been a daddy's girl and this was likely to send him into a stroke. I quickly left the room and sat in our den trying to figure out a way to let them know. Dad finally went to bed that night. Mom was always a night owl and still sat on the sofa watching a different program. I sat back down in the chair and got her attention. I started off with some trivial conversation. Nothing major. I just wanted to get her talking. Then I told her I was going to go out of town for the weekend and just wanted to let her know. The evasiveness must have turned on her "mom radar" because she started asking a lot of questions. Where was I going? Who was I going with? When was I leaving? When would I get back? I was still trying to be evasive and answered her questions as shortly as possible. I am going to Chicago. No one is coming with me. I am going to leave Friday after work and return Sunday night. I just opened a can of worms. I never went out of town alone. She knew I would not go to a city the size of Chicago alone either. I finally broke down and told her I was going to see a "friend" I had met. Her eyes got huge. She got the " Oh No you are not" look on her face. Before she could say anything I gently reminded her I was well above legal age and I would be very careful. I would call when I left here and when I arrived. I would also call each day I was gone and prior to my return home. She so did not like the idea. I quickly left and went to my bedroom. I was feeling somewhat better knowing that I had told my mom and she had not yet pad locked my bedroom door. I drifted off to sleep that night contemplating my next move. How was I going to tell my best friend as well as my other 2 exceptionally close friends. We were all like a pack. I could not just tell one. Jill already knew so I knew my time was limited before the other 3 found out. I wanted to be the one to tell them. But what to say????
The next day while I was out visiting patients I decided to call my friend Lynn at work. I have changed the names of the innocent........lol. Lynn was closer to Jill than the other 2 and I figured I had better get a hold of her first. Just being straightforward and honest was the best way to go. She is a very straightforward kind of person anyway. I just told her What I was doing for the upcoming weekend. She seemed to take it a lot better than I thought she would. She had her concerns and she did voice them, but it was OK. I got off the phone feeling much better about my decision. I then decided to call friend number 2 while on lunch. We will call her Sally. The conversation with Sally was so much different than the one I just had with Lynn. Sally freaked out. She told me I had lost my mind and what was I thinking? After she had gotten done lecturing me loudly. I tried to put her mind at ease. I don't think I did a very good job. Eventually I had to get off the phone to see a patient and promised I would call her later. At this point the optimism I was feeling has gone. In my head Sally said everything I had originally been thinking, well so did Lynn but she just put it in a different way. I so did not want to make that third phone call. I was dreading it almost as much as I dreading telling my dad, which I still had not done. The last call was to the person who has known me my entire life. She knew all my secrets. Heck, most of the time she could finish my sentences. I was sure this was a sentence she was most definitely not going to be able to finish. I decided to put it off.....but I knew I could put it off indefinitely.
It's Wednesday. I have not told my dad. I have not told my best friend. I did have a nice long chat with Brian on the phone the night before. Another marathon phone call. I think it was 4 hours this time. I am back to feeling good about my trip. That is until I make the call to my best friend. We usually talked every day and I had skipped yesterday. I knew there was no way I was getting out of it today. I made the call. "Beth" answered the phone in her usual cheerful voice. I decided to go for cheerful too. I started off asking all the usual questions. How was her day going? How was her husband and little boy? How was work? We chatted for bit. The she asked the question I was dreading. " So what are you doing this weekend?" By the sound of her voice I could not tell if she had already been tipped off by one of the other 3. It was just a little different than normal. I went for it. She knew I had met a man Derby night. Of course I had told her all about it. When I told her she got very very quiet. I was wondering if maybe I had lost connection with my cell. I had not lost her. She was just gathering her thoughts. Like I said Beth has known me all of my life. If she was going to try and talk me out of something she knew the best way to go about it. Logically. I had always been logical. She systematically voiced the reasons she thought I should not go. They ranged from , "You have never driven to Chicago alone and do not know where you are going", to "You do not know this man. He could be a serial killer waiting to cut you up into little pieces and hide you in his closet. " I tried my best to ease her worries. I knew everything she said was out of concern for my well being, but I was determined. Once she realized that I was going to go I had to make my promises. Yes I would call when I got there. Yes I would call both days while I was gone. I promise I will not let him cut me up into little pieces. Little did I know he would do just that 2 years later.
I got home Wednesday night and my mother cornered me. She wanted to know when I intended on telling my dad. I got a great idea. I was not going to tell him. I had told her so if he wondered where I was then she could tell him. She liked that idea even less than me actually going. I got phone calls that night from Sally, Jill, Beth and Lynn. I was so relieved when I picked up the phone and it was Brian. I could finally rest. Thursday came and I spoke with Beth again. Since we spoke almost everyday anyway, it was not much different than normal. She was still gently trying to keep me here. I have great friends that truly care about me. I thought Friday would never get here. Worked seemed to take forever and I even got off early. I called Beth and my mom, letting them know I was on my way to Chicago, and began my 5 1/2 hour drive.
It was a typical Monday night. They were both seated on the sofa in our living room watching TV. They had no idea the bomb I was about to drop on them. I went to the living room, sat in the chair and waited for a commercial to come on. While waiting for the commercial I could feel myself chickening out. There is no way I could look my dad in the eye and tell him. I had always been a daddy's girl and this was likely to send him into a stroke. I quickly left the room and sat in our den trying to figure out a way to let them know. Dad finally went to bed that night. Mom was always a night owl and still sat on the sofa watching a different program. I sat back down in the chair and got her attention. I started off with some trivial conversation. Nothing major. I just wanted to get her talking. Then I told her I was going to go out of town for the weekend and just wanted to let her know. The evasiveness must have turned on her "mom radar" because she started asking a lot of questions. Where was I going? Who was I going with? When was I leaving? When would I get back? I was still trying to be evasive and answered her questions as shortly as possible. I am going to Chicago. No one is coming with me. I am going to leave Friday after work and return Sunday night. I just opened a can of worms. I never went out of town alone. She knew I would not go to a city the size of Chicago alone either. I finally broke down and told her I was going to see a "friend" I had met. Her eyes got huge. She got the " Oh No you are not" look on her face. Before she could say anything I gently reminded her I was well above legal age and I would be very careful. I would call when I left here and when I arrived. I would also call each day I was gone and prior to my return home. She so did not like the idea. I quickly left and went to my bedroom. I was feeling somewhat better knowing that I had told my mom and she had not yet pad locked my bedroom door. I drifted off to sleep that night contemplating my next move. How was I going to tell my best friend as well as my other 2 exceptionally close friends. We were all like a pack. I could not just tell one. Jill already knew so I knew my time was limited before the other 3 found out. I wanted to be the one to tell them. But what to say????
The next day while I was out visiting patients I decided to call my friend Lynn at work. I have changed the names of the innocent........lol. Lynn was closer to Jill than the other 2 and I figured I had better get a hold of her first. Just being straightforward and honest was the best way to go. She is a very straightforward kind of person anyway. I just told her What I was doing for the upcoming weekend. She seemed to take it a lot better than I thought she would. She had her concerns and she did voice them, but it was OK. I got off the phone feeling much better about my decision. I then decided to call friend number 2 while on lunch. We will call her Sally. The conversation with Sally was so much different than the one I just had with Lynn. Sally freaked out. She told me I had lost my mind and what was I thinking? After she had gotten done lecturing me loudly. I tried to put her mind at ease. I don't think I did a very good job. Eventually I had to get off the phone to see a patient and promised I would call her later. At this point the optimism I was feeling has gone. In my head Sally said everything I had originally been thinking, well so did Lynn but she just put it in a different way. I so did not want to make that third phone call. I was dreading it almost as much as I dreading telling my dad, which I still had not done. The last call was to the person who has known me my entire life. She knew all my secrets. Heck, most of the time she could finish my sentences. I was sure this was a sentence she was most definitely not going to be able to finish. I decided to put it off.....but I knew I could put it off indefinitely.
It's Wednesday. I have not told my dad. I have not told my best friend. I did have a nice long chat with Brian on the phone the night before. Another marathon phone call. I think it was 4 hours this time. I am back to feeling good about my trip. That is until I make the call to my best friend. We usually talked every day and I had skipped yesterday. I knew there was no way I was getting out of it today. I made the call. "Beth" answered the phone in her usual cheerful voice. I decided to go for cheerful too. I started off asking all the usual questions. How was her day going? How was her husband and little boy? How was work? We chatted for bit. The she asked the question I was dreading. " So what are you doing this weekend?" By the sound of her voice I could not tell if she had already been tipped off by one of the other 3. It was just a little different than normal. I went for it. She knew I had met a man Derby night. Of course I had told her all about it. When I told her she got very very quiet. I was wondering if maybe I had lost connection with my cell. I had not lost her. She was just gathering her thoughts. Like I said Beth has known me all of my life. If she was going to try and talk me out of something she knew the best way to go about it. Logically. I had always been logical. She systematically voiced the reasons she thought I should not go. They ranged from , "You have never driven to Chicago alone and do not know where you are going", to "You do not know this man. He could be a serial killer waiting to cut you up into little pieces and hide you in his closet. " I tried my best to ease her worries. I knew everything she said was out of concern for my well being, but I was determined. Once she realized that I was going to go I had to make my promises. Yes I would call when I got there. Yes I would call both days while I was gone. I promise I will not let him cut me up into little pieces. Little did I know he would do just that 2 years later.
I got home Wednesday night and my mother cornered me. She wanted to know when I intended on telling my dad. I got a great idea. I was not going to tell him. I had told her so if he wondered where I was then she could tell him. She liked that idea even less than me actually going. I got phone calls that night from Sally, Jill, Beth and Lynn. I was so relieved when I picked up the phone and it was Brian. I could finally rest. Thursday came and I spoke with Beth again. Since we spoke almost everyday anyway, it was not much different than normal. She was still gently trying to keep me here. I have great friends that truly care about me. I thought Friday would never get here. Worked seemed to take forever and I even got off early. I called Beth and my mom, letting them know I was on my way to Chicago, and began my 5 1/2 hour drive.
posted by hard2stop @ 4:15 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home