Shot Down In Front of God & Everyone

I was up just after 5:30am to get my Friday underway. On one hand I was excited that it was Friday, but my excitement was tempered by the fact I’d be on-call for the weekend’s entirety. Moisture hung heavy in the air after Thursday’s near record rainfall. It was supposed to be clear but some fog held firmly during the early hours. Within first five minutes of being awake, the coffee was brewing and my exercise routine started. All was right with the world. The only downer was my sinuses. They were clogged again this morning. I figured now was the time to ask brother-in-law Craig to call me in an antibiotic prescription. I should’ve much sooner but I have this thing about caving to convention, especially when it comes to medicating for illness. I see it as a weakness. Plus, there’s the whole over prescribing of antibiotics to worry about. But either way, there’s no denying that I’ve had a lingering infection that just won’t go away on its own. And realistically, it dates back into April when I had the flu. It’s time to rid myself of this once and for all. After my homebound routine was behind me, I set out on my Friday run. I ran four miles, and felt terrific! Afterwards, I quietly went about making food all while Mindy kept sleeping. This would be her final weekday of solace. I delivered her coffee before my shower then jumped back in bed after I was dressed and ready. That maneuver made me a little late but it was worth it. I decided to drive the Trooper since there was a decent chance of afternoon showers. Mindy was planning to get busy with her ½ bath project. She asked that I locate the painting tape before I left. I knew right where it was and left it setting on the island counter. I was a little concerned about her removing the mirror, towel & toilet paper racks, but she seemed confident. I left for work smiling. For a Friday, things were very tame. For this I was pleased. The work day still moved swiftly. I didn’t leave for a lunch break until almost 1:30pm. I made a quick visit to Home Depot where I scoped out the price of treated pine 8X8s to possibly use as step treads on the slope down to the pond to make accessing my sprinkler pump easier and safer. I also picked up two planter saucers. I took my time and was gone for only 50 minutes. Still, the time away served its purpose. I was ready to get after it for a few more hours after my return. I spoke briefly with Mindy who shared her progress with the ½ bath. Sounds like things were moving along nicely. Her biggest hold up was waiting for joint compound to dry after patching the scars left behind by the old ceramic towel fix & toilet paper fixtures. Getting those off without any wall damage is next to impossible. The only tip I gave was a small one. Use a blow dryer. We were planning another evening at Barley’s. Mindy made arrangements for her new friend Leiyah to meet Tom Clark. Brother Tommy was going to be there too. I learned late in the afternoon that Bob & Mary Ann would be heading home to Wadsworth for F.D. weekend. I left for home just after 5:30pm. It was storming big time. The sky turned almost purple around 5pm. And judging by the radar, it looked like rain for the next few hours. This time lightning was striking all around – the nasty stuff too! A bolt and a boom all at once. Very close. One strike in particular scared the begeezies out of me. There was an accident at Trabue & Wilson just as I approached the intersection. The Upper Arlington and Columbus Fire departments responded about the same time. It was brother-in-law Larry’s firehouse, although he was off. They had the intersection blocked but luckily, there was enough room to turn left onto Trabue and enter Scioto Woods via an alternative route. I couldn’t see the significance of the accident, but I am sure to the folks involved it was significant, regardless. At home, Mindy seemed genuinely excited for me to be home. At her prompting, I checked out the ½ bath. Looked great. She was at a stand still waiting on the spackling to dry. I offered my services to help spackle. She gleefully accepted. But first things first. We walked Ykraps together. After we returned from our walk I got busy with the minor spackling. Leiyah phoned around 6:30pm to tell us that she’d meet us at Barley’s around 8pm. I hit the spackling job with another coat just before we left the house. Barley’s housed the typical Friday crowd, although it thinned dramatically within an hour. That doesn’t happen too often. Leiyah arrived about 30 minutes after us. Tom, so far, was a no show. Leiyah seemed a bit surprised that we were seated at the bar. She wondered if we’d be getting a table. Not usually, I responded. She ordered ice tea, citing that she rarely consumes alcohol. Leiyah blended in nicely all things considered. She struck up a conversation with our friend Steve. Brother Tommy arrived a little later, but still no Tom Clark. Mindy gave him a ring via his cell. He made up some lame excuse, much like I told her he might. Never did show. But like I always say, it’s not who should be or who wasn’t there, but rather who was. We made the most of our Friday evening out with friends. Mindy’s nephew Joe, along with his friends Chris and Shane showed up around 10pm. They were a lot of fun. They went back and shot pool with Leiyah. Steve W. tried getting Leiyah’s phone number before she left. No dice, though. Not so fast, or something like that. I felt for him being shot down in front of God and everyone. We helped stack bar stools on the bar before leaving. We must’ve stayed until about midnight, closing time. Mindy drove home. We pretty much went straight to bed.