About a week ago, I was fussing at my younger son about cleaning up after himself. And he responded, "I don't know why you are making such a big deal of this. Son #1 goes on a road trip to Las Vegas without even telling you and you are mad at me about dishes?"
Las Vegas? What??
Yep. It's true. Son #1 went on a road trip to Las Vegas with one of his buddies. Son #1 supplied the car. His friend supplied the money.
But this story gets better. Last Tuesday or Wednesday, he lost his six-month-old iPhone. So not is my son on a road trip, but the only way I can reach him is to call his buddy.
But wait. This story gets better. On Saturday, I get a letter from the Santa Monica Police Dept. They have my son's lost item. But it's not his phone. It's his wallet.
And when I call his friend's phone to tell him about the wallet, Son #1 says, "Will AAA help me with the car?"
"What kind of help do you need?" I say trying to remain calm.
"I got into a fender bender. I rear ended someone. But it wasn't my fault. And now the car is overheating."
"Did you get a ticket?" I ask.
"No because the lady didn't speak English. And she just drove away."
"What?"
"She spoke some other language. I think it was Chinese. And she drove away. Her car wasn't hurt."
We agree that he will call AAA and ask for a garage recommendation. On Sunday, he tells me he has found one, but they can't take the car until Monday. But he wants to be sure to have my phone ready.
Which I do. But he doesn't call until after noon. And then he calls to say the car won't start. He needs a tow truck. He will call me when the car gets to the garage.
I call him at 4. The car didn't get towed. The tow truck came. But Son #1 doesn't have his AAA card. Because it is in his wallet. In Santa Monica. Thirty miles away.
This morning I call AAA. Beg. Get them to take his friend's ID and Son #1's insurance card. The car gets towed to a shop. And then I talk to the shop owner. Who was very nice. But he can't fix the car.
It needs a comprehensive body shop.
So it gets towed to a comprehensive body shop. And that shop calls me this afternoon to say that the radiator is cracked and he thinks the insurance company is going to total the car.
I talk to Son #1's friend. He assures me that he has money to get them back by plane or bus. Or maybe he will buy a beater car.
And so the boys are in a Motel 6 in California. And I am in Denver. Trying to let my son be an adult and solve his own problems. With no phone. And no wallet. And no car.
And did I mention that the toilet in the upstairs bathroom leaked down into my bedroom last night?
If I couldn't laugh I would cry, or kick the wall, or something like that. I am sorry, & I am impressed that you tried to help. I think you did well trying to get something done.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! Big hugs. Way big hugs for you.
ReplyDeleteoh boy... motherhood is nothing if not an endurance test. Good luck. And good for you for writing about this with humor.
ReplyDeleteI can sense your frustration, Carol. My gosh, I'd be beyond frustrated if I had this (plus a plumbling problem on top of it all) going on! I can tell you're trying to find the way to let him solve his own problem. It's hard when there are so many things -- missing wallet and missing phone -- that are standing in his way. I hope it all works out -- for him and for you.
ReplyDeleteImagine if you didn't quibble with Son #2 about the dishes...
Oh, Carol, what a week. Hoping that the toilet is fixed by now. I often wonder how you manage to keep going, but keep going you do with your humor intact. Here's to a better week to come.
ReplyDeleteOh, my.
ReplyDeleteThere's a book in all this, but I'm not sure what genre...