Odd things happened on Mother’s Day.
1. I was not allowed to drive with Gary. There was not enough room for me in the Honda Fit after he put in all the petunias and presents. I had to take my own car. No one saw this as strange.
2. Since I had my own car I realized I had a chance to make a break for it when Mother’s Day was done and not go through The Long Goodbye, the orgy of “Where’s MY hug?” “Did you hug me goodbye? I forgot. Let’s hug again.” “Don’t hug him, he’s sick.” “Oh well I’ll just wave” AND LEAVE THE HOUSE ALREADY but no, then we have to have the goodbye at the car, and wave goodbye at the dog, who will be lifted up and have her paw waved at us, and since she has a special relationship with Gary she will have to lick his nose AND I WILL RUN YOU DOWN IF YOU DON’T GET OUT OF MY WAY.
After we reunited at our house I told Gary I had wanted to demonstrate to him how you can leave a house in less than twenty minutes. He said his parents had noticed I didn’t wave the extra final goodbye after I had pulled out of the driveway and turned to go home. They decided I must be sick.
3. Gary actually convinced me that Paris might have to wait for next year when volcanoes stop shutting down Europe. He can’t just take off an extra week of work. So my plan is to make plans for a Northern Lights vacation in Canada/ Alaska or a Paris vacation if the volcanoes settle down. And as I told him, you can still get home going eastward. Eventually. Travel insurance bought after the first eruption won’t pay for volcano delays, though.
So, we shall see. There’s a handy site that will show you where the Northern Lights are today, and, well, they are nowhere near a nice hotel. I’m picturing us in the middle of pine trees and mountains in Quebec far from anyone who speaks English. They are scream at us, “CHIEN! CHEIN PAR VOUER ET MARSIELLES! LA CHAUD POUR LE SAL DE BAN! NON!” We have no idea what they are talking about, then they throw us to the bears.
4 responses to “Mother’s Day”
I hate dragging out goodbyes. I usually wind up doing something so rude that people think it’s hilarious. You know, like I say, “I’m throwing you out of my house, now! Get out! Get out! I’ll call you Tuesday! I had a great time! Get OUT!”.
I kind of hate Mother’s Day.
Goodbyes are hopelessly unregulated. My personal irritation is with the “Well, we really ought to go” followed by not even the slightest twitch towards standing up, and another half-hour of desultory conversation. We should all aim to be like the SAS: swoop in, do the business, swoop out.
And Canada? Well, at least you’ll still get some French that way. Without the rudeness.
Wait, so it’s okay to get yelled at in French in Paris, but not Canada? Racist. 😉
Tami – Once I did end Tea with “TEA is OVER at SIX.”Big Dot – I think perhaps the hostess should say, “Here, I will walk you out,” and hold open the door.Trisha – Oh, not at all, just in France they will take pity and speak English eventually, but I understand the Quebecois will give no quarter.